Why Does It Matter?
Aggravated assault is traumatic to victims, and also affects the perception of safety throughout the community.
Aggravated assault rates provide deeper insight into the most violent crimes. Aggravated assault and murder charges are often difficult to distinguish between depending on the circumstances of the particular crime. Mere inches can sometimes separate a person from being a victim of murder or aggravated assault. For example, a stab or gunshot wound may graze a critical organ or directly impair the organ, potentially causing a person to die from their wounds, and therefore classifying the act as a murder; if the individual were to survive the same violent act, it would be classified as an aggravated assault. Similar to violent crime, aggravated assault rates affect our community as a whole, and can influence the perception of safety throughout different neighborhoods.
Shootings in particular can be one of the best indicators of gang violence in our community. Combating gang violence is important to our community and its sense of safety. It also requires the involvement of the community, local nonprofits working to prevent gang violence and businesses, in addition to law enforcement. Since 2011, gun assaults have generally declined in the City of Omaha with 2015 being one of the lowest years for gun assaults.