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Officer Whitney-Gross, 1994 Officer of the Year

Officer Whitney-Gross was selected as the 1994 Officer of the Year. During the first four months, Officer Whitney-Gross worked the night shift in the Uniform Patrol Bureau. Her sergeant said that she led her team in both interest and attitude, and was always ready to work hard and assist her teammates. Her peer officers said that her interaction and communication with the public was exceptional.

In May, Officer Whitney-Gross was transferred from the Uniform Patrol Bureau to the Criminal Investigations Bureau and assigned general case duty. She made the transition smoothly and became the top producer in investigations, having the highest number of case completions during six of the seven months, May through November. She completed some child victim investigations and is beginning to build experience in that specialty area. Her fellow detectives appreciate her positive attitude and people skills.

Officer Whitney-Gross is a Field Training Officer (FTO) and participated in the training of three recruits in the last class. The FTO Coordinator has praised her thorough evaluations of recruits, and noted that recruits speak highly of her coaching. Officer Whitney-Gross also teaches classes at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Academy in the areas of officer survival and crisis intervention. She is a certified Emergency Medical Technician and is especially good at assisting rescue personnel on their calls.

The following are some of the work accomplishments of Officer Whitney-Gross this year.

In January, Officer Whitney-Gross responded to a high-dollar criminal mischief incident. Several individuals had damaged a car, and a witness had a description of the suspects and their vehicle, including a partial license plate. Officer Whitney-Gross did extensive follow-up and identified the suspect vehicle and its owner. She interviewed three individuals who lied and covered for a fourth member of the group. It took repeat interviews of all suspects to successfully conclude the case, and all four suspects were arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges. Whitney-Gross was commended for her perseverance and professionalism.

In March, Officer Whitney-Gross was dispatched to investigate a theft from a motor vehicle. The victim reported that someone had stolen $3400 worth of stereo equipment from his car, and did $150 damage to the car in the process. Whitney-Gross noticed several odd things about the circumstances of the theft, including that the broken window glass was on the outside of the car and the stereo had been removed with great care so as not to damage the dash. She suspected that the victim was lying about the theft and making a false report. Whitney-Gross enlisted the aid of a second officer and called in the victim a few days later for an interview. Using good interview techniques, they were able to establish that the victim was lying, and gained a confession from him about the false report, which saved the insurance company from having to pay a $3600 claim.

In June, Detective Whitney-Gross was off-duty driving her personal vehicle in Omaha. A Bronco was in front of her occupied by three male teenagers. One of the males started pointing a handgun at passing cars, and another pointed a rifle at motorists. Drivers were braking and turning off onto side streets to get away from the Bronco. Whitney-Gross followed the Bronco to a mall area. When the Bronco stopped at a red light, she got out and approached the Bronco and held the occupants at gunpoint. She had a passerby call 911. Douglas County deputies and Omaha police officers arrived to assist. They recovered a .22 caliber rifle and a pellet gun from the car. The three seventeen-year-old males were arrested for disorderly conduct.

In November, Detective Whitney-Gross was returning to the station when she noticed a disturbance in progress outside the police station. She intervened, summoning help, and arrested the aggressor for terroristic threats. This was another example of her attention to duty.