Crime reports from the OPD

OMAHA, Neb. – Please be advised that Children’s Hospital has no connection to a new round of door-to-door magazine sales in the city. The hospital has been notified by alert neighbors that individuals are using the hospital’s name in a sales pitch.

The individuals claim that proceeds from the sales of their magazines will benefit Children’s. If the potential buyer is not interested in a magazine himself, the solicitors may suggest choosing a magazine that would be sent directly to the hospital.

These claims are completely false. Children’s Hospital does not receive magazines in this manner, and the hospital has no ties to this group.

“The community has always been very supportive of Children’s Hospital and it’s upsetting that individuals would try to take advantage of this generosity,” said Roger Lewis, Executive Director of Children’s Hospital Foundation.

A similar situation happened at this same time last year. Children’s Hospital encourages consumers to be alert, and if in doubt contact an organization or charity directly to find out if it is aware of solicitations being made on its behalf.

Proudly serving children since 1948, Children’s Hospital is the only full-service, pediatric health care center in Nebraska. Located in Omaha, it provides expertise in more than 30 pediatric specialty services to children and families across a five-state region and beyond. The 144-bed, non-profit hospital houses the only dedicated pediatric emergency department in the region and offers 24-hour, in-house services by pediatric critical care specialists. Children’s Hospital has achieved the Magnet designation for nursing excellence and is an InfoWorld 100 award winner for innovation in information technology. A pediatric affiliation established between Children’s Hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine supports enhancements in pediatric education, research and clinical care. Children’s is also the primary teaching site for the family practice and joint pediatric residency programs at Creighton University and UNMC. For more information on Children’s Hospital, visit www.ChildrensOmaha.org.

Disclaimer:

The information contained in this e-mail from Children's Hospital is privileged and confidential and is intended only for the use of the addressee(s) indicated above. Use or disclosure of information e-mailed in error is respectfully prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender and immediately delete the original message or you may call Children's Hospital and its affiliates in Omaha, NE at (402)955-6700. Thank you.

The Omaha Police Department is interesting in finding out information regarding a tan vehicle possibly a Lincoln Town car 2000 + model with red/blue flashing lights on the dash. It has unknown Nebraska plates on it. The driver of this vehicle made a traffic stop and asked the female driver for her license and registration and to step out of her car. When the female driver asked him why she was pulled over he got angry and told her “I gave you a direct order to step out of the car.” The driver asked him for his badge number and the male party got angry and got in his car and drove off.

Vehicle: Tan or gold car early 2000 model, very clean Lincoln possibly a Town Car model with red/blue flashing light on dash unk. Nebraska plates)

Note: Car had adhesive markings from a torn off bumper sticker on the center right area of bumper

Please contact 911 if you see any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood and if you know of any past behavior of anyone matching this description.

On Feb 27, 2008 at 0239 hours officers observed two individuals slinking away from a vehicle. When the pair noticed the officers they fled on foot but were captured by police. A subsequent interview with the suspects revealed that he and his cohorts were actively trolling through apartment complexes seeking cars which had been left idling to warm up. Suspects stated that after the vehicles were stolen they would move them to an unassuming parking lot and leave them for a length of time in case the cars were tracked with OnStar or other GPS type software. They would then return later to pick up the vehicles if they hadn’t been recovered by police.

There may be additional suspects associated with these crimes. Please be on the look out for suspicious parties hanging around parking lots or if you notice a suspicious car please call 911 to see if t has been stolen.

Please contact 911 if you see any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood and if you know of any past behavior of anyone matching this.

On Tuesday Feb. 19^th at approximately 3:30 – 4:00 PM near 47^th & Chicago and possibly coming out of an alley between 47^th St. and 48^th St. Chicago and Cass St., a citizen was approached in his driveway by a black male requesting money to buy gas for his truck. The suspicious party stated his name was George Earl Johnson. On Wednesday Feb 20^th at approximately 3:00 PM near 48^th & Underwood, a resident observed a black male with a coat hanger trying to get into vehicles. Both descriptions of the black male were very similar. Neither resident called the police. If you see someone matching the description below and acting suspicious, please call 911 immediately.

Clothing: Brown Carhart Jumpsuit or navy blue puffy jacket and blue jeans. May be wearing a black Chicago Bears stocking cap

Please contact 911 if you see any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood and if you know of any past behavior of anyone matching this.

Thank you to all of you who responded to my email regarding Jeep Cherokees. OPD is trying to be creative in how we approach are crime statistics and had hoped to be able to monitor where these Jeeps are located. Due to the overwhelming response to that email, it is apparent that there are an abundance of Jeep Cherokees in the Dundee and surrounding areas and to try to monitor the high numbers would be almost impossible. Therefore we are asking all Jeep owners to be mindful of the fact that many Cherokees are being stolen and to take precaution against being a victim of auto theft. Please make certain to lock your vehicle and consider purchasing an anti-theft device such as a steering wheel locking mechanism.

If you see a Cherokee parked in your area and it looks abandoned, please call 911 and report it. We are also seeing an increase in found stolen Cherokees in the area.

After this email went out, I had a few comments as to the validity of this email. Not all alerts will come in the form of Neighborhood Bulletins. I do not want to overwhelm people with spam or unnecessary information. Bulletins will remain in place when I have specific information to share and emails will come when the nature of the information is more general. These emails go out to a number of people including Neighborhood Watch Captains, Neighborhood Association Presidents, Citizen Patrollers, Apartment managers and others who are somehow connected to working with the police. Many of you are forwarded these emails on which is great but my specific email list will continue to go to those who have taken the extra step to work with us through our Crime Prevention Unit. I am glad that if anyone has any doubts regarding these emails that they verify that they are legitimate.

There has been a substantial increase in the theft of Jeep Cherokee vehicles. If you live in the area within the boundaries of Dodge Street to Decatur, Saddle Creek to 52^nd Street and own a Jeep Cherokee, please email me the following information: your address, where you park your car, i.e. on the street, in the driveway or garage, etc. We are trying to keep track of where these vehicles are. Also, if you see any Cherokees that suddenly appear in your neighborhood or have been abandoned please contact 911 and advise of a possible stolen vehicle.

Please contact 911 if you see any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood and if you know of any past behavior of anyone matching this.

We are once again receiving complaints regarding aggressive door to door sales people. Some of these companies are also using underage workers. Please read the information below and distribute to your neighbors so that people are clear on what the "exact" ordinance are. Keep in mind, this information is for people who are "employees of a company". This does not apply to kids from schools going door to door. However, if any person who comes to your door to sell you something and becomes aggressive or disorderly, you should not hesitate to call 911. Provide 911 with as many details as possible i.e. description of person at your door, vehicle description if there is one, and direction of travel. Then ask to see the officer. Provide the officer with the details that you gave to 911.

It is unlawful to make in-person calls as a peddler to prospective customers before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on any day of the week, unless requested to do so by the prospective customer.

The only exception to this ordinance is for non-profit organizations. These organizations should be able to provide a legal non-profit Tax ID number upon request.

Whoever employs a child under sixteen years of age and whoever, having under his or her control a child under such age, causes or permits such child to be employed in violation of sections 48-302 to 48-313 is guilty of a Class II misdemeanor. Whoever continues to employ any child in violation of any of such sections, after being notified by an attendance officer or by the Department of Labor or by its assistants or employees, is, for every day thereafter that such employment continues, guilty of a Class II misdemeanor.

In the past 10 days the Omaha Police Department has seen an increase in burglaries to garages in the areas of 78^th & Benson Garden Blvd, 105^th & Ellison, 92^nd Maplewood, 121^st & Rose Lane, and1300 No. 122^nd St. The suspect is tampering with locks on the garages and is taking miscellaneous items of value.

Suspect may be driving a Blue 1993 Oldsmobile Cierra four door, license number PVE 467.

Suspect is wanted on a FELONY Warrant. If you see him please call 911 immediately.*

Please contact 911 if you see any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood and if you know of any past behavior of anyone matching this description.

Information received in District 17 of the Northwest Precinct from 72^nd St – 90^th St Western – Maple, of a male suspect that has been peering in the bedroom windows of pre-teen females between the hours of 5AM – 6AM.

Please contact 911 if you see any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood and if you know of any past behavior of anyone matching this description or behavior contact Omaha Police Detectives of the Child Victim Unit at 444-5636.

There have been approximately four "similar-type" robberies (a robbery is when a person takes something from another person by force or threat of

force) that occurred in a very short period of time on Sun. Sept 23 in the Dundee/Memorial Park area. We believe there are two suspects committing the robberies while a third suspect waits in the car. The vehicle may be a light green or grey 4 door vehicle. These suspects are believed to be armed. Suspect description is as follows: Suspect #1 - black male approx 18 years old, 5'9" - 6" tall, with braided hair and wearing a white T-shirt with a gold design on the front of it. Suspect #2 - black male approx. 17 , 5'3" - 5'6" tall.

Thank you to everyone that was helping us look for Terry Brown. He was captured today due to someone call 911. Thanks again

Many thanks to those of you who are paying attention. I just received additional information from a party who passed on this email. The girls went to another location and left a flyer. The company that these girls represent is Novack Enterprises, LLC, 14503 Grover, 334-4850. I spoke with the owner and reminded him of city ordinances that require all door to door sales people to have photo id's, a peddler permit and they can only solicit from 8AM - 5PM. Anything outside of those requirements can be grounds for arrest. He said he would make sure they are incompliance.

Hopefully he will be incompliance immediately but please remember the requirements apply to all peddlers. The only one's who don't need the permit are the school children who should be with their parents.

Again, thank you all for reading these alerts and for providing me with additional information. Your involvement is extremely important to the police department.

I received the following information from a neighborhood member. Please be alert to this and if you have contact with these people, please call 911 and have an officer come to your house for any further information and to fill out an information report. This occurred in the area 131 & Lafayette but can be occurring elsewhere.

FYI... two young girls just came to my door in the pouring rain offering to clean a room of my home for free -- their 'company' would pay them $25 to do this. It sure sounds like a scam to me. I sent them away.

One was a white girl and one was black -- both looked to be late teens or early twenties.

This is an email regarding an increase in burglaries in the Country Club and Benson area. At this time we have the following suspect information. African American male approximately 5' 6 165 lbs, light skin with freckles and bald. His method of operation is to case neighborhoods and then pushing out or cutting screened window and entering through the window. Several people have seen this individual but have not called 911. If you see someone matching this description and acting suspicious, please contact 911 immediately and then send me an email and let me know. Also I am asking you to disseminate this information to the people on you block.

A citizen who was out moving his yard Wednesday in the area of 48th & Blondo observed the following and called it into 911: a white male, skinny build, brown hair, blue shirt, tan shorts and a red baseball hat, riding past his house on a bicycle and then saw the same person riding out of his driveway. The police arrived in the area and observed a male who matched the description. After a short foot chase the suspect was apprehended and had numerous tools in his possession and the victim's credit cards. This is one of the suspects that OPD has been trying to locate for questioning in several burglaries.

Please continue to call in suspicious activity and people when you see them.

We have received complaints regarding people going door to door trying to sell things. They have been asking residents personal questions about their homes and themselves. If you have any doubts that the person at your door is legitimately selling things, ask to see a peddler's permit. They must have a permit and a photo with the permit. They also can only solicit between 8AM - 6 PM. Please call 911 immediately if you feel the situation is suspicious.

The Northwest Precinct has identified an increase in burglaries. These burglaries are occurring during the day and the suspect/s are looking in window and entering the property and stealing items that can be observed through the windows such as cell phones, jewelry, purses, IPODs etc. Please be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior such as someone walking through the neighborhood that appears to be casing the area. If you observe someone suspicious PLEASE call 911 and report it and ask to be seen by the officer so that you can relay any additional information to the officer. Also if you have been a victim, even if it is only for small items, please report it to our telephone report squad at 444-5977.

This is also a good time to have a neighborhood watch meeting and talk with your neighbors about being aware of crime and suspicious activity. To schedule a meeting, please call me at 444-6478.

New crimes in the last few days in Maple Village, [contact the OPD do not take any action on your own do your best to get a good description of them and what they are driving] Along with calling 911 please e-mail maplewoodcp@cox.net as well. All of these crimes have been reported to the OPD.

Maplewood Lands was broken into last night 6/9/07 and they broke in the front door. If anyone has any information contact Maplewood Lanes.

A Dark blue [2000-2003 Silverado] full size truck with high suspension off road tires, that will have a dented front driver's side fender and maybe other damage was involved in a felony hit and run on 93rd Ave about 2:00 AM

Saturday morning he hit a new car on 93rd Ave, he is a large white male. He hit a car parked by the curb near 93rd Ave by Maplewood BLVD. If anyone see a truck fitting this description please call 911 or e-mail maplewoodcp@cox.net. Posted by the Maple Village Neighbors.

A burgundy car with two black males hit a 70 year old man walking on Maplewood BLVD about 5pm with a paint ball gun for no apparent reason. If you see this car call 911 and try to get a good description of the people and vehicle. Posted by the Maple Village Residents.

There are some kids in there teens to 20's that have been vandalizing cars by walking on them and also keying the paint on the vehicles. The area is around 93rd Ave and Bedford and they seem to be heading into the Beacon Hills Apt's. This report did not come from the OPD but the Neighborhood residents. The description of two of them is one black male about 6' slender and where's a hat and is usually with a girl or a few other friend about 4 of them. They also like to walk in the middle of the street and dare you to ask them to move so you car can pass. The last report was 5/25/07 when he ran over the top of a car parked on the street, he ran over the trunk, roof and hood they keyed the car. Anyone with any information call 911. 5/30/07 A better Id on the people was reported; there are 2 black males with two girls one black and on Hispanic in their late teens to 20's. They frequent the Harbor Freight area during the day and night and are often seen walking on Bedford and 93rd Ave. Again call 911 they can be dangerous and have a tendency to harass people as well.

The Omaha area has seen an increase in stolen vehicles and also in finding recovered vehicles. We are again asking residents to make a concentrated effort to be aware of suspicious people loitering in your neighborhoods and to call 911 with information about suspicious activity. Also, if you observe a vehicle in your neighborhood that suddenly appears or has been parked on the street for awhile and may or may not have damage such as broken steering columns or broken windows, flat tires, body damage etc., please call our Nuisance Unit at 444-5772 to report it as possibly stolen or abandoned.

Please pass this information onto anyone that you think may benefit from this.

Another robbery occurred yesterday at 1:37 PM at 10810 Jaynes St. The victim noticed what she felt was a suspicious white car, similar to a Malibu maybe about a 2000 year model that was backed into a stall. Again, the suspect was described as a black male, black hoody with fabric obscuring his mouth and notice. He again produced a handgun

Unfortunately we have had another robbery attempt by a black male wielding a silver handgun. We are continuing to notice patterns with this party. As stated before he is approaching single females. He strikes between the hours of 6PM - 9PM. He is approximately 5'8 150 lbs wearing a black hoodie with red lettering. The latest victim was sitting in her car near 5307 No. 110 St. He has also struck at 5605 N. 106th PA and 11381 Evans. We consider this person to be dangerous and if anyone has any information or has seen this suspect, please call 911 immediately. He appears to be on foot and may live near the address that he is committing his crimes.

Please advise all of your tenants, especially your female tenants to be very aware of their surroundings as they are coming and going into their apartments. This person also approaches females that are sitting in cars in the parking lots. Also, please feel free to distribute this information to anyone that you feel should receive it.

There have been two incidents of an African American male 5'10 - 6'1 in his 20's wearing a black hoodie, driving an unknown vehicle committing robberies in apartment parking lots. This man will approach women as they are coming and going to their vehicles. We are asking all apartment managers to be on the look out for someone matching this description who may be loitering in your parking lots. This individual may be armed. If you see this individual please do not attempt to approach him and call 911 immediately and let me know after you call 911. So far this individual has committed his robberies in police district 13 which is between Maple and Military, 120^th Street to the Interstate. Please feel free to pass this email on to anyone you think will benefit from it.

We have additional information that many of the purse burglaries are happening between the hours of 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM. The suspect/s may be in a white vehicle. This person has been removing or loosening light bulbs from exterior lights in the yard (landscaping), by doors and by both attached and detached garages. They have been gaining entry through unlocked doors, by prying the back door or by throwing a brick through a glass door.

Again, if you have been a victim and not reported this crime yet....even if there is no evidence left behind, please call the police and report the incident.

On Saturday, December 30th at about 8:00 p.m, me, my husband, and our 12 year old daughter were taking groceries out of the back of our SUV. A car was coming down Sprague Street toward the corner of Sprague and Terrace Drive. We all had our backs to the car, but heard a loud noise. The noise was a shot that the police thought was a high-powered BB or pellet gun. Luckily, it missed us all, barely. It went through and shattered the rear back window on the drivers side.

The car was an older, my husband thought 1999, Camero. Color was a toss up. Black or blue/green, but definitely dark.

We just wanted to make the patrol aware of this incident in our neighborhood. Thank you.

There has been a very large increase in burglaries most specifically in the Country Club neighborhood. We are asking everyone to be diligent about strangers in their neighborhoods. If you see someone who appears to be casing your neighborhood, please call the police and then call your neighbors. Do not hesitate to report anyone that you think is acting suspicious. If you are a victim of crime we need you to be sure to report the crime either through the 911 system or our non-emergency number of 444-5977. We are attempting to identify all of the crimes occurring but cannot do that if they are not reported. Although this information may not involve your immediate neighborhood, the Country Club residents have mobilized and are taking extra steps to be extremely watchful in their neighborhood. When the neighbors harden their area against criminals, the criminal may move on and find an easier target neighborhood.

If anyone is in your neighborhood and asking for money for any reason, that is a 911 call. If someone is in your neighborhood and they are looking for someone unknown to the neighbors and has no other reason to be there, call 911. Most burglars are caught when a neighbor notices something suspicious and calls the police.

Also, some things to look for when you observe suspicious activity: physical description of party, attire, vehicle description especially a license plate or partial plate, anything unusual about the vehicle i.e. dents, bumper stickers, and direction in which the suspicious party left. Tell 911 that you want to see the officer so that you can provide the officer any additional information regarding the party.

If you don't have a neighborhood watch on your block, this is a prime time to start one. Please pass this information on to your other neighbors.

Finally, DO NOT attempt to interfere or detain someone you feel is suspicious. Many criminals carry weapons of some kind and you never know when they may feel compelled to use one.

We are continuing to see an increase in items stolen from vehicles. We are trying to bring this to the public's attention so that they will not leave valuables in their cars. Please pass this flyer onto the people on your email distribution lists and remind your neighbors to keep their valuables in a safe place.

Be aware that with the high cost of gas, criminals are not siphoning the gas out of your tank but stealing your front license plate for a series of gas station drive offs. I know this because I had mine taken Thursday night while dining at the Village Point mall.

When I reported this to the Omaha Police Department, this crime is on the rise and the targets are shopping malls & centers, theaters, and restaurants mostly at night but some during the daytime. According to the officer, the criminals are using cordless tools to remove the plate screws and on a few occasions put the screws back or have mounted a previously used plate on the new victim's vehicle.

OPD recommends that you should check your plates before you leave these sites because the criminals will take the back plate if it is between parked cars. The front plate is the primary target because how often do you think or see your front license plate and that is what the criminals are counting on.

Just so you know, you must report your plate(s) stolen so you will not be held accountable for the gas drive offs or other crimes also you need it to get replacement license plates in which it is going to cost you $14.50 and your time.

There has been an increase in graffiti in the area of 97 - 99th & Ohio area.

Please call the Mayor's Hotline at 444-5555 to report any graffiti in your area and as always contact 911 if you see any suspicious activity.

Although we are anxious to open our doors it is not in the plans for the immediate future. There are still some personnel issues that need to be addressed. At this time we are hoping to be open to the public by September.

You can still get crime prevention materials from this location but you must make arrangements in advance. You can call me at 444-6478 if you need those.

residents in the area stated that she needed to borrow money for her sons prescription.

years of age and has said that her name is Renee. This female drives a dark vehicle.

Please remember to keep you car doors locked, keys out of the ignition and if you hear/see anything suspicious, call 911.

Also, the Northwest Precinct and the Community Resource Center have moved from their past locations. We are now at 10245 Weisman Drive which is just a few blocks north of Fort St. at 103rd. Eventually we will have a front desk open for the public as well as a meeting room that can be utilized. I will keep you posted regarding when that will be open.

The Northwest Precinct has seen and increase in theft from sheds and garages. Many times the structures are left open with everything inside available to the thieves. Please be mindful of the possibility of thieves in your area and keep you doors closed and locked to help prevent these thefts. Also, please contact 911 if you see people acting suspiciously in your neighborhood.

Local media ran a story on how burglars are getting into people's homes by manipulating electric key lock openers on the outside of homes. Homeowners should consider disconnecting any outside wired switches immediately and/or check to see if their local garage door opener retailer can retrofit their currently-installed systems. Please pass this information on to your neighbors.

In recent weeks, there have been multiple apartment / condo garage burglaries where suspect gains entry by manipulating the electric key lock openers installed on the outside of the detached garage units. It appears that the suspect pries the key lock open and crosses the wires, which then opens the garage door without the use of a key.

These burglaries have been reported throughout the city, including Douglas County, with the

majority in SW Omaha. The bulk of these offenses have occurred on weekdays during late afternoon and early morning shifts.

At this time, it is unknown if one suspect is responsible for all of these offenses or if

“instructions” for defeating the electric key openers are being circulated to multiple parties.

Additional information and/or questions regarding this crime series can be directed to

W/M, 6’0”, heavy build, wearing red & black snowsuit with hood. This party was observed in the area of one of the incidents, unk if he was involved.

Douglas County Sheriffs Office (DCSO) reports that a small, silver or gray, 4 door foreign vehicle (poss. Honda) was observed in the area of a burglary at 0400 hrs. There were two occupants – driver was a W/M with a tan stocking cap, passenger has a dark stocking cap. When the deputy turned around on the car, it ducked out of sight.

Tools, to include A/C refrigerant recovery unit, torch set, framing nailer, misc tools & tool chest

Recreational items, to include Cannondale, Trek, and Schwin bikes, bike helmet, fishing rods, electric dog collar, golf clubs & bag (left-handed Arnold Palmer clubs, Big Bertha driver, Sam Snead woods)

Personal items, to include suits, sports coats, watches, jewelry, Norman Rockwell plates, “Stiffel” lamp Sony 21” flat screen tv

From Douglas County: tools, model Cessna airplane, red mountain bike, four 17” Helo chrome 5 spoke rims

Please be aware that there has been an increase in theft from motor vehicles in the following areas: 72 St. - 84 St. Charles to Lake and 108 - 114th Corby to Old Maple Rd. Please advise your neighbors to be very mindful about leaving any valuables in their vehicles and to please call in suspicious activity. Many of these incidents are occurring in the late night or early morning hours.

Please distribute this to everyone that you think would be interested in coming. We would like to get as many people as possible to attend.