Bill would deter theft from cars

Wednesday, January 25, 2017
McCook residents Bill Longnecker, left, and Dennis Berry, right, visit with McCook Police Officer Kevin Darling during the January Coffee with a Cop meeting at the Bieroc Cafe. (Bruce Baker/McCook Gazette)

McCOOK, Neb. -- The City of McCook Police Department teamed up with District 44 State Sen. Dan Hughes to develop legislation which could provide law enforcement officers with another tool to combat theft rings targeting vehicle contents.

During Tuesday's Coffee with a Cop meeting at the Bieroc Cafe, Chief of Police Isaac Brown said he was grateful for Sen. Hughes' support on the bill, LB 593, which creates the offense of trespassing in vehicles. Sen. Hughes introduced the bill earlier this month after collaborating with Chief Brown and other law enforcement agencies.

The act of rummaging through someone else's car without permission isn't a violation of Nebraska law, according to Chief Brown, who said law enforcement agencies have very little recourse without proof something was stolen.

McCook Senior Sgt. Kevin Darling also attended the meeting and said the McCook Police Department often had videos of suspected car thieves going through multiple vehicles, but if the video wasn't detailed enough to prove something was stolen, no laws were broken.

"We catch people frequently. This [introduced legislation] offers another tool to protect people's property," said Chief Brown, adding his department had video of one offender going through five different vehicles but couldn't prove anything was stolen. He also said he didn't realize the high value attached to some of the equipment people keep on tractors, pickup trucks and on their boats. The proposed bill would help law enforcement agencies deal with thefts in each of these scenarios, which he said often can be very high dollar items.

Sgt. Darling is continuing to find success with a woman's self-defense class he began teaching some 11 years ago at the high school level. Earlier this week he took the self-defense and rape prevention class to McCook Community College and attracted 24 attendees.

Sgt. Darling said Tuesday it was a bit more intense than his typical high school class and admitted, with a chuckle, he was still a bit sore from posing as a punching and throw dummy for the women.

The DARE program at McCook Public Schools is underway for the school year and Chief Brown offered praise for the drug and alcohol resistance and education program, under the guidance of Police Officer Ashley Donovan. He also said a recent Department of Justice study indicated it was one of the most effective programs out there.

The February Coffee with a Cop meeting will include City Manager Nate Schneider as an additional guest and is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Feb. 14 at the Bieroc Cafe.

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