A call for an independent public safety auditor in Omaha is not going away, said about 100 protesters Wednesday outside city hall.
Representatives of several civil rights groups gathered to encourage the hiring of someone to oversee the Omaha Police and Fire Departments.
"No entity can police itself," said organizer Willie Hamilton.
He and the others want the City Council to fund the auditor position, which has been vacant since Tristan Bonn was fired in 2006.
The issue came up again after a security video surfaced of a May 29 arrest in which a police officer repeatedly kicked a man pinned on the ground by other officers.
Police Chief Alex Hayes recommended the firing of two officers involved in the incident.
Human resources officials will determine whether they agree with Hayes. If they do, the firings would become official, though the officers could appeal under the city's contract with the police union.
Speakers at the rally said that wasn't enough and that all the officers involved in the incident should be fired. They believe an independent auditor would prevent incidents of excessive force by police.
Bonn, the former auditor, said residents should talk to City Council members, who she said don't have the "political will" to hire an auditor.
"The single biggest impediment to police reform is the police union," she said.
John Wells, president of the Omaha Police Officers Association, said the union isn't opposed to a police auditor, but it opposes the way it's been implemented.
"Time and time again the auditor process . has proven to be anything but objective, fair or independent," he said in an interview.
Wells said of Bonn: "She clearly had an agenda."
Councilman Ben Gray is drafting an ordinance to amend the City Charter to include a mandatory auditor position funded with city money. If approved by the council, the proposal would go before voters.
Organizers said they will hold another rally from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Charles B. Washington Library.
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402-444-1084, roseann.moring@owh.com
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