Small Town Cops

"Small Town Cops" considers the changing role of police work in Nebraska’s small towns and rural areas. Even in the safest communities where everyone knows everyone else, police are trained to prepare for school shootings, encountering drug traffickers, and facing an increasing number of calls involving mental illness.

In this Emmy®-nominated Nebraska Public Media News documentary, experienced and newly-trained officers explain what’s different and why they still believe in serving and protecting their communities.

“It’s a scary thought to think that it’s going to happen in our town,” said Officer Regina Preston with the Mitchell, NE, police department. The town’s police force, serving 1,600 people in Scotts Bluff County, logs less than 100 crimes each year, but the department takes on a multitude of other tasks assigned by the community to help keep the community safe, clean, and healthy.

Rarely is there violence. Nonetheless, these are times when even the smallest law enforcement agencies must prepare for the unknown.

“The ones that are on the beat are now tasked with more responsibility than has ever occurred in the history of American law enforcement,” said Mike Kerby, an instructor with the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center (NLETC) in Grand Island. The Center provides training for ordinary and extraordinary situations.

In recent years, the pressures come from within their communities, as shrinking populations may be unable to pay for the increasing cost of law enforcement. As a result, dozens of communities have given up a local police force and contracted services with the county sheriff’s office.

Dive deeper with behind-the-scenes photos, additional content and related news stories at NebraskaPublicMedia.org/smalltowncops.

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