LINCOLN- State Senators Terrell McKinney and Justin Wayne of Omaha are pushing for legislation that would require Nebraska law enforcement to release public lists of all officers who have misconduct or disciplinary history.

The announcement came after Capt. Kathy Belcastro-Gonzales was awarded $700,000 in her federal lawsuit against Police Chief Todd Schmaderer. The court found that Schmaderer had retaliated against Belcastro-Gonzales when he bypassed her for a promotion.

Sen. McKinney and Sen. Wayne are basing the legislation on the 'Brady List,' which was created after the 1963 Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, which stated that "prosecutors must share possible exculpatory evidence on officers with defense attorneys."

Former Deputy Police Chief Greg Gonzales, husband of Belcastro-Gonzales, said during her trial that one OPD officer who was on the Omaha Police Department's list was promoted to lieutenant. Sen. McKinney said that was concerning.

"A lot of things around policing, we've been stonewalled, in my opinion, as far as getting true accountability," said McKinney.

Sen. Wayne, in a prepared statement supporting the push for such legislation, mentioned the 'Brady List,' stating, "Brady lists are vital public information as they show which police officers have credibility issues and indicate whether prosecutors are following the law by maintaining and updating these records."

Sen. McKinney introduced similar legislation during the last session, but it never made it to the floor for debate. The bill garnered heavy opposition from Nebraska law enforcement agencies and unions.

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