Changes proposed
for justice system
By Jake Bleed
Senior staff writer
Gov. Mike Johanns announced
Wednesday that he would propose
several improvements to Nebraska’s
criminal justice system when the
Legislature convenes in January.
Johanns said he would like to see a
limit put on post-conviction appeals,
more state troopers on Nebraska’s
highways, a tuition-based law
enforcement training program and an
upgrade to the state’s crime computer
system.
The details of Johanns’ proposals
will not be known until January. They
come at a time when the nation is
enjoying a prolonged slump in crime.
But although the nation’s crime
rate has dropped “precipitously”
since 1991, Nebraska’s rate has actu
ally increased, said Lincoln Police
Chief Tom Casady.
“Unlike other states in the U.S.,
crime in Nebraska has been rising,”
Casady said. “Lincoln has gone
down, but crime in the state has gone
up. Lincoln has kind of bucked the
statewide trend.”
Chris Peterson, Johanns’ public
relations secretary, said improve
ments in the state’s criminal justice
systems were necessary despite
national or local crime trends.
“You have to be vigilant,”
Peterson said. “(Crime) is not some
thing you can ever assume is fixed.”
Johanns said he favored adopting
the use of lethal injection for death
penalty sentences because of a pend
ing U.S. Supreme Court case that
could declared Nebraska’s current
execution method, the electric chair,
unconstitutional.
Post-conviction appeals currently
make “a mockery of the criminal jus
tice system,” Johanns said, adding
that justice should be both sure and
swift. - .
Peterson said the specific point in
the judicial process after which
tt————
Unlike other states
in the U.S., crime in
Nebraska has been
rising
Tom Casady
Lincoln police chief
appeals would not be allowed will be
announced in January.
Peterson said upgrades to die state
crime computer system would allow
better access to the system for more
communities across the state.
Casady said funding crime-fight
ing technology would increase the
efficiency of law enforcement offi
cers across the state.
“I think technological innovation
is one way to maximize the resources
we’re putting into these efforts,”
Casady said.
The. tuition-based law enforce
ment training program proposed by
Johanns would transfer costs of the
program from law enforcement agen
cies to the candidates themselves,
Peterson said.
Law enforcement agencies cur
rently hire candidates, pay them to be
trained and pay for the training,
Peterson said.
Johanns’ proposal would transfer
the initial portions of the program
away from die state training center in
Grand Island to local community col
leges.
This would decrease the cost of
the program and the time required to
train officers at the center. The center
currently spends 12 weeks training
candidates, Peterson said.
Under Johanns’ proposal, time
needed to train officers would (hop to
about nine weeks, increasing the
number of classes the center is capa
ble of training every year, she said.
Band on the ran
__._
_ Sharon Kolbet/DN
FRESHMAN BRENDA HARTER and the rest of the UNL marching band rehearse indoors Wednesday morning.
This week the band has moved off the field and into the Westbrook Music Building in preparation for its
Saturday concert.
_ ' - •
Bill could change execution method
JOHANNS from page 1
‘It is important that we get started
on this legislation this year,” Johanns
said.
Sen. Kermit Brashear of Omaha
will sponsor the lethal injection bill
when the Legislature convenes in
January.
Attorney General Don Stenberg
said in a telephone interview
Wednesday that he supported the
change from |^^^g^gyto lethal
“I do support a change to lethal
injection no matter what the Supreme
Court does,” he said. “(Lethal injec
tion) is a more humane approach.
Most states have already gone to die
use of lethal injection.”
Stenberg said Nebraska was one
of four states that exclusively use the
electric chair for executions.
He said while he supports the
change to lethal injection, the
Supreme Court might not mandate
thechange.
‘It is by no means certain that the
U.S. Supreme Court will rule the elec
tric chair unconstitutional,” Stenberg
said. “Even if the court finds (hat the
specific case in Florida is unconstitu
tional, it doesn’t mean (electrocution)
is unconstitutionaHnother states.”^ #
Florida’s electric chair has been a
target of death penalty opponents
because of its poor working condition.
The chair has been nicknamed “Old
Sparky” because it reportedly causes
flames to shoot from the heads of exe
cuted prisoners.
Johanns said he didn’t want to
take any chances.
“With just four states out there uti
lizing this method of carrying out exe
cution, there is potential that the
Supreme Court will find (electrocu
tion) to he cruel and unusual pimish
He said making the change would
keep Nebraska out of a “serious
dilemma.”
would have no method to carry outthe.
death penalty,” Johanns said. “Wg^
could be in serious jeopardy if (the.
Supreme Court) were to decide (elec
trocution) was cruel and unusual pun-~
ishment across the board.”
m
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