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Detective Rybar, 1993 Officer of the Year

Detective Rybar was selected as the 1993 Officer of the Year. He has been an officer with our department since 1979. During the last four years he has been the senior or lead detective in our Criminal Investigation Bureau, specializing in crimes against persons. The following cases are some of the more significant ones that he has worked this year.

Early in the year, Detective Rybar investigated a burglary and arson to a business. Rybar gathered enough evidence to show the owner’s involvement in the crime, and the insurance company was then able to deny the owner’s $90,000 claim. The insurance company greatly appreciated Detective Rybar’s detailed work.

In February, Detective Rybar cleared a group of burglaries at Budget Storage by making the connection to some Omaha burglary arrests. He made some tool mark comparisons and gained a partial admission from a suspect during follow-up interviews. His attention to criminal activity metro-wide provided the leads that solved our burglaries.

In April, Rybar worked with a confidential informant and set a trap for a juvenile who had been shoplifting computers and computer software in two Bellevue businesses and several in Omaha. The losses were totaling $4,000-$5,000 dollars at the time of his intervention. Using the informant, Rybar apprehended the suspect in the act in an Omaha business and recovered two computers stolen from the Bellevue stores.

In May, Rybar cleared a false theft report by a car owner who had alleged a $2,700 loss of stereo equipment. Acting on a tip, he found the "stolen" goods that had been sold to a friend and backtracked from there, making an arrest.

In July, Detective Rybar cleared with an arrest the robbery of the Total Gas Station on Ft Crook Road North. He developed information and confronted the robber’s accomplice, acquiring through good interview skills a full confession from the driver/accomplice and recovering the weapon involved. The gunman was convicted.

In December, he completed work on the Sandman Motel robbery requesting a warrant for the suspect. A lot of leg work was done to complete the identification of the suspect and provide leads as to his current location.

Also in December he completed a complex, sensitive case involving the owner of a local, well-known business in which a loss of $40,000 dollars or more in property and services was alleged against this business owner by his landlord. A detailed investigation showed that the loss would have to be considered civil in nature, but the business owner’s shady dealings were documented.

In addition to working his cases, Detective Rybar handles pawn duties, and is our main point of contact with the Omaha Police Department when they call for assistance. He updates our detectives and patrol officers on new developments in case law in the area of search and seizure and arrests. Jim is also a member of the department SWAT team.

Besides Detective Rybar’s accomplishments, he has exceptional character. He is dependable, a good team player, and represents our department well in all aspects of his work.