Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
One thing that I think a lot of people are
thinking about is with all of the stuff that's happening
nationally and even here locally, what's the situation going to
be like downtown for the College World Series? And the
one person who I know can give us better answers
than anyone else is the Chief of the Omaha Police Department,
Todd Schmaterer, who is joining us on the phone line today. Chief,
thank you so much for being on our show today.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thanks for having me on, and hello to all your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Absolutely, we really appreciate the time. So College World Series.
I asked Steve Serviny, who's a deputy chief, a little
bit earlier this week, about kind of the general preparation
for the College World Series. And I know that you
guys know this is happening every single year and you've
been a part of the preparation for many years now.
Can you kind of walk us through, you know, in
lay persons terms, about kind of what this week, weekend,
(00:44):
and what the next week and a half basically look
like for the Police Department versus what a normal week
would look like.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah. Absolutely, First of all, Amory, this is a huge,
huge week, week and a half for this city, and
we're going to bring a lot of visitors in from
a lot of different states. Is soet them. That is very
important to our community, and we're going to be prepared
for it. We always are. We have overlay plans of
extra staffing, We utilize some other resources from other agencies
(01:10):
during this period of time as well. And if you
go down there even right now for the fan fest,
is starting to get really busy down in CWS. You
can tell it's kicking off already. The opening night is
tomorrow and it's going to be huge. The couple things
you'll see different this year as far as planning goes,
You're going to see some more vehicle barrier devices and
(01:32):
that is simply in response to what took place in
New Year's even New Orleans. We want to make sure
that the vehicle access is completely blocked to certain areas
such as the fan fest area and every areas where
the people are walking. So that's one change. You'll see.
They're discrete barriers, but you will notice them. And then
(01:54):
the other change this year is we have an extra
contingent of officers on hand and some special operations plans
in place because we're going to have a couple of
protests activities going on during CBS time, so that's going
to overlap.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I did see on about an hour ago you had
a statement that went out on the Omaha Police Department
social media pages that kind of detailed that what are
we kind of looking for Chief as far as protests
are concerned, and the whereabouts that these would be taking place.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, the first the first one is going to be
a march, and that's going to be that's going to
be tomorrow night or early evening, and there was a
plan to march with the police in cooperation with the plan,
and they'll march from a different location down to the
CWS area and there'll be a designated point where they're
(02:45):
going to gather and you know they'll be on the sidewalks,
they may be in front of the CHI Center and
we've been working with the organizers on that. So you're
going to see that on Friday. It's the various amounts
of people that may attend that it could be could
be upwards of hundreds, but at this point in time,
we're working closely with the organizers. We do anticipate it
(03:06):
to be peaceful. However, we do have a contingent of
officers available to address if need be. And then the
second and that's going to be an immigration related protest.
So I just want to all the community to know
and all our visitors to Omaha that when you come
down to the CWS that's going to overlap and that
we do have a handle on it. We don't anticipate
it disrupting the series at all. The second day is
(03:31):
a protest in a march as well, same parameters. We're
working with the organizers trying to keep it as safe
as possible, but they will come onto the CWS venue
as well on public streets. And that one is more
of the No King's Day that's going on Saturday. So
you have one immigration related protest and one No King's
(03:51):
Day protest that CWS fans we'll see.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
We're speaking with the police chief here in Omaha, TODJ.
Schmador on our hotline today. Last year, I remember seeing
a smaller group. It was probably just a couple of
dozen of people that were pro Palestinian or anti Israel
kind of protests, and they kind of marched from where
the Geen Lahey Mall is down and around the confines
(04:19):
of where the stadium is on the sidewalks, and you know,
they have like a loudspeaker and everything, but they were
just marching. They weren't coming onto property, they weren't blocking traffic.
So what would be do you kind of anticipate that
kind of being the route. This isn't something that would
happen maybe in the Ballpark village as much as it
would happen kind of on the streets to and from
if you're in the downtown area just around on the
(04:40):
sidewalks there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, that's that's our anticipation, and that's kind of what
we're being told by the organizers. The one on Saturday,
they'll come across the Bob Carry Bridge and Traverse up
to that way, and they'll be on public streets from
what we've what we've been told. And then on the
one on Friday that's going to start some where near
(05:02):
the geen Leahy Mall or even a little further south
are there, and you'll you'll see that walk path that
you just described being utilized.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Very interesting. I think people who are not a part
of these protests, who see, you know, the very sensationalized
videos and photos of things that are happening in other
places around the country, and maybe even some of the
photos of you know, flags upside down and things of
that nature at the protests on Tuesday after the ICE
operation in Omaha. And I know that you guys, you
know you're not speaking for the federal government or for ICE,
(05:36):
but I think there is a little peace of mind
that goes into Omaha citizens when they hear that the
police actually is fully aware of what's happening and they're
actually helping to be a part of what's going on
to make sure everybody on both sides is safe. So
how do you best describe what your conversations have been
like with the organizers of these protest marches so people
(05:57):
kind of understand what their motivation are for these protest marches.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah. Absolutely. For first of all, Emory, our whole objective
with protest managed is to ensure First Amendment rights and
their liberties to speak freely. And then we're also trying
to keep it safe and make sure everybody follows the law.
And it seemingly both protests activities are working with the
police department, seem to have an interest in keeping it
(06:25):
peaceful and they want to express what they want to express.
Now you might see some more people associated with the
Friday protests because of what took place a couple of
days ago with the ice situation. So it's scain and
numbers because of that. However, the organizers are really striving
to keep this peaceful. As a police department, I'd like
(06:45):
the community to know that we deal with protests all
the time. And what you see on TV nationally with
some of the things going in LA starting to spread
to some of the other major cities, ninety nine out
of one hundred protests are done very peaceful in the
city of Omaha, and I would say the best indicator
of a peaceful protest is whether or not the organizers
(07:06):
are willing to work with us and give us some
intelligence as to what they're going to do. And so
we have that we have that on this occasion, and
I do anticipate that they'll be able to express their
opinions in a safe and comfortable manner for everybody down
to see with the CWS.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Last thing for you, Chief, I know people who might
be looking to you know, I want to park my
car somewhere downtown. I want to be able to walk
freely downtown. Is it going like these marches? Are they
going to impede traffic in an already busy and congested area.
Do you anticipate this thanking it difficult to kind of
maneuver around if you're in a car, especially on the
roadways downtown Omaha.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
That's a good question, memory, and you might see a
little bit more of that. I mean, realize the CWS
is very, very congested anyways, and so we always recommend
vehicle traffic to park around the exterior and just kind
of walk in, and then this adds another element to it.
I'm not sure how much of an impact it will
make because it's already extremely, extremely crowded during that CWS time.
(08:09):
So we'll give the general advisement if you can park
and walk in, that's always better. If you can't, realize
you might see a few more debate delays during the
time periods of the marches, which will probably be around
five o'clock four o'clock timeframe.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
All right, something to keep in mind on this weekend
College World Series. Possible protests, but seemingly peaceful in the
way that they are being conducted, according to police Chief
Touch Moderate Chief really appreciate the time of the information
today for all of our listeners around Olmaha and you
and the four stay safe this week and a half
and can't wait to see you guys in action downtown.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
All right, thank you, Hemry. All the best to you
and your audience.
One thing that I think a lot of people are
thinking about is with all of the stuff that's happening
nationally and even here locally, what's the situation going to
be like downtown for the College World Series? And the
one person who I know can give us better answers
than anyone else is the Chief of the Omaha Police Department,
Todd Schmaterer, who is joining us on the phone line today. Chief,
thank you so much for being on our show today.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thanks for having me on, and hello to all your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Absolutely, we really appreciate the time. So College World Series.
I asked Steve Serviny, who's a deputy chief, a little
bit earlier this week, about kind of the general preparation
for the College World Series. And I know that you
guys know this is happening every single year and you've
been a part of the preparation for many years now.
Can you kind of walk us through, you know, in
lay persons terms, about kind of what this week, weekend,
(00:44):
and what the next week and a half basically look
like for the Police Department versus what a normal week
would look like.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah. Absolutely, First of all, Amory, this is a huge,
huge week, week and a half for this city, and
we're going to bring a lot of visitors in from
a lot of different states. Is soet them. That is very
important to our community, and we're going to be prepared
for it. We always are. We have overlay plans of
extra staffing, We utilize some other resources from other agencies
(01:10):
during this period of time as well. And if you
go down there even right now for the fan fest,
is starting to get really busy down in CWS. You
can tell it's kicking off already. The opening night is
tomorrow and it's going to be huge. The couple things
you'll see different this year as far as planning goes,
You're going to see some more vehicle barrier devices and
(01:32):
that is simply in response to what took place in
New Year's even New Orleans. We want to make sure
that the vehicle access is completely blocked to certain areas
such as the fan fest area and every areas where
the people are walking. So that's one change. You'll see.
They're discrete barriers, but you will notice them. And then
(01:54):
the other change this year is we have an extra
contingent of officers on hand and some special operations plans
in place because we're going to have a couple of
protests activities going on during CBS time, so that's going
to overlap.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I did see on about an hour ago you had
a statement that went out on the Omaha Police Department
social media pages that kind of detailed that what are
we kind of looking for Chief as far as protests
are concerned, and the whereabouts that these would be taking place.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, the first the first one is going to be
a march, and that's going to be that's going to
be tomorrow night or early evening, and there was a
plan to march with the police in cooperation with the plan,
and they'll march from a different location down to the
CWS area and there'll be a designated point where they're
(02:45):
going to gather and you know they'll be on the sidewalks,
they may be in front of the CHI Center and
we've been working with the organizers on that. So you're
going to see that on Friday. It's the various amounts
of people that may attend that it could be could
be upwards of hundreds, but at this point in time,
we're working closely with the organizers. We do anticipate it
(03:06):
to be peaceful. However, we do have a contingent of
officers available to address if need be. And then the
second and that's going to be an immigration related protest.
So I just want to all the community to know
and all our visitors to Omaha that when you come
down to the CWS that's going to overlap and that
we do have a handle on it. We don't anticipate
it disrupting the series at all. The second day is
(03:31):
a protest in a march as well, same parameters. We're
working with the organizers trying to keep it as safe
as possible, but they will come onto the CWS venue
as well on public streets. And that one is more
of the No King's Day that's going on Saturday. So
you have one immigration related protest and one No King's
(03:51):
Day protest that CWS fans we'll see.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
We're speaking with the police chief here in Omaha, TODJ.
Schmador on our hotline today. Last year, I remember seeing
a smaller group. It was probably just a couple of
dozen of people that were pro Palestinian or anti Israel
kind of protests, and they kind of marched from where
the Geen Lahey Mall is down and around the confines
(04:19):
of where the stadium is on the sidewalks, and you know,
they have like a loudspeaker and everything, but they were
just marching. They weren't coming onto property, they weren't blocking traffic.
So what would be do you kind of anticipate that
kind of being the route. This isn't something that would
happen maybe in the Ballpark village as much as it
would happen kind of on the streets to and from
if you're in the downtown area just around on the
(04:40):
sidewalks there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, that's that's our anticipation, and that's kind of what
we're being told by the organizers. The one on Saturday,
they'll come across the Bob Carry Bridge and Traverse up
to that way, and they'll be on public streets from
what we've what we've been told. And then on the
one on Friday that's going to start some where near
(05:02):
the geen Leahy Mall or even a little further south
are there, and you'll you'll see that walk path that
you just described being utilized.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Very interesting. I think people who are not a part
of these protests, who see, you know, the very sensationalized
videos and photos of things that are happening in other
places around the country, and maybe even some of the
photos of you know, flags upside down and things of
that nature at the protests on Tuesday after the ICE
operation in Omaha. And I know that you guys, you
know you're not speaking for the federal government or for ICE,
(05:36):
but I think there is a little peace of mind
that goes into Omaha citizens when they hear that the
police actually is fully aware of what's happening and they're
actually helping to be a part of what's going on
to make sure everybody on both sides is safe. So
how do you best describe what your conversations have been
like with the organizers of these protest marches so people
(05:57):
kind of understand what their motivation are for these protest marches.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah. Absolutely. For first of all, Emory, our whole objective
with protest managed is to ensure First Amendment rights and
their liberties to speak freely. And then we're also trying
to keep it safe and make sure everybody follows the law.
And it seemingly both protests activities are working with the
police department, seem to have an interest in keeping it
(06:25):
peaceful and they want to express what they want to express.
Now you might see some more people associated with the
Friday protests because of what took place a couple of
days ago with the ice situation. So it's scain and
numbers because of that. However, the organizers are really striving
to keep this peaceful. As a police department, I'd like
(06:45):
the community to know that we deal with protests all
the time. And what you see on TV nationally with
some of the things going in LA starting to spread
to some of the other major cities, ninety nine out
of one hundred protests are done very peaceful in the
city of Omaha, and I would say the best indicator
of a peaceful protest is whether or not the organizers
(07:06):
are willing to work with us and give us some
intelligence as to what they're going to do. And so
we have that we have that on this occasion, and
I do anticipate that they'll be able to express their
opinions in a safe and comfortable manner for everybody down
to see with the CWS.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Last thing for you, Chief, I know people who might
be looking to you know, I want to park my
car somewhere downtown. I want to be able to walk
freely downtown. Is it going like these marches? Are they
going to impede traffic in an already busy and congested area.
Do you anticipate this thanking it difficult to kind of
maneuver around if you're in a car, especially on the
roadways downtown Omaha.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
That's a good question, memory, and you might see a
little bit more of that. I mean, realize the CWS
is very, very congested anyways, and so we always recommend
vehicle traffic to park around the exterior and just kind
of walk in, and then this adds another element to it.
I'm not sure how much of an impact it will
make because it's already extremely, extremely crowded during that CWS time.
(08:09):
So we'll give the general advisement if you can park
and walk in, that's always better. If you can't, realize
you might see a few more debate delays during the
time periods of the marches, which will probably be around
five o'clock four o'clock timeframe.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
All right, something to keep in mind on this weekend
College World Series. Possible protests, but seemingly peaceful in the
way that they are being conducted, according to police Chief
Touch Moderate Chief really appreciate the time of the information
today for all of our listeners around Olmaha and you
and the four stay safe this week and a half
and can't wait to see you guys in action downtown.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
All right, thank you, Hemry. All the best to you
and your audience.
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