OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new alert system in Douglas County will notify authorities when they’re approaching a potentially dangerous person.
Emergency dispatchers have long been able to warn law enforcement officers when they’re going to a home address of someone with a history of violent behavior or threats. But they haven’t been able to provide the same information based on a person’s name.
It’s a problem when an officer approaches someone who’s potentially dangerous but isn’t at his or her home. The new system will allow dispatchers to check for warnings by searching either a name or residence.
The change follows a June shooting involving Douglas County sheriff’s deputies and a man who had a history of deadly threats against police.