“Myself and all of Nebraska’s state troopers, deputy sheriffs, and local police officers have worked hard to earn the public’s trust,” Tom Casady, former Lincoln Police chief and Lancaster County sheriff, said in a news release. “When federal actions are taken without coordination or in ways that erode public trust, it makes our jobs harder and our communities less safe. That is why we are speaking out.”
A news release from the group did not offer specifics on what it considers “federal overreach,” but in an interview with Nebraska Public Media News, Casady, who is a member of the group and its public face, spoke specifically about what he sees as unprofessional and rogue federal law enforcement actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security.
He also has been critical on social media of the practice of many Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers wearing masks to obscure their identities.
“What I want to do is just use whatever voice I have to say out loud the quiet part that I think lots and lots of people that are in active duty law enforcement – lots of chiefs, lots of sheriffs lots of people in command positions, lots of rank and file police officers and deputy sheriffs – are saying privately because they’re a little bit concerned about speaking out in public about it.”
