The Omaha Police Department says senior staff are continuing to evaluate the crime statistics during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The Police Department says crime data shows that disturbances and Domestic Violence calls are up slightly the past couple of weeks. Domestic Violence calls in the month of March have been comparable to the previous years. This year they were up from 2019 but compared to 2018 they were slightly down. The number for Domestic Violence calls are as followed:
2018 - 1,167
2019 - 1,059
2020 - 1,160
Investigators say child abuse calls are down approximately 25% and that they believe this is due to schools being out as they are a primary source of reporting. Police encourage the community to call 911 if they know a child is being abused. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month the Police Department says all should be proactive in an attempt to keep children safe. If you would like to report a case of child abuse, the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline number is 1-800-652-1999.
Since March 20th, the department has not had officers respond to movable property damage vehicle accidents, saying drivers should just exchange information. As a result of this, the department says accident investigations are down. They say there has been a decrease in driving under the influence arrests due to the bars being closed and fewer cars on the road.
OPD says there has been an increase in aggravated assault reports compared to last year and that the increase was more prevalent at the beginning of March than the end of March.
The Omaha Police Department's statistics are monitored on a daily basis.