17. Omaha
Shootings in Omaha have declined by 74% in the last 15 years, while the Omaha Police Department estimates that officer-involved shootings have decreased by 90% in the last decade. In July 2007, Omaha experienced its highest level of gun violence, with 31 shootings over 31 days. Following that awful month, community leaders and Omaha officials took the initiative and began working to build a new approach to the issue.
The 40-year low was reached in 2018, with 22 homicides, then rising to 37 homicides at the start of the epidemic in 2020, and now falling to 27 so far in 2023. Organizations such as Omaha 360 and the Nebraska Collaborative for Violence Intervention and Prevention were founded with the purpose of uniting the community around collaboration, prevention, and intervention.
