Omaha Police Union Fliers Slam Candidates (Attacked For Sex Offender Stances)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29173797/

TheOmahaChannel.com
updated 2:54 p.m. CT, Fri., Feb. 13, 2009

OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Police Officers Association has sent out a flyer that accuses mayoral candidate Jim Vokal and City Councilman Frank Brown of not being strict enough against sex offenders.

The fliers began arriving in mailboxes on Thursday that said that Vokal is "hiding from his record" regarding legislation about sex offenders.

The document said that in 2006, Vokal voted to block Omaha Police Department officers from monitoring high-risk sex offenders in the city and that his district has the city's second-highest number of high-risk offenders.

"We thought it was important to educate the public about Jim Vokal's voting record," said Aaron Hanson of the Omaha Police Officer's Association. "This is a public safety issue and a very critical one, at that."

Vokal said the mailing was an attack that amounts of political retaliation for his police pension criticisms.

"They're doing everything they can to make sure I don't get into office," he said. "Retaliating for me criticizing the latest offer from the police union, where they specifically asked the mayor for a 99 percent pension."

FULL story at link.