Brenda Smith: Nebraska’s Trailblazing Police Leader
Brenda Smith
Legacy Maker | First African American Female Police Officer in Nebraska
Story by Aniya Porter
When Brenda Smith joined the Omaha Police Department in 1980, she stepped into history. She became the first African American female police officer in Nebraska, entering a profession where few women, and no Black women in the state, had served before her.
At the time, law enforcement in Nebraska was still navigating integration across both race and gender. Women had only been fully incorporated into patrol roles in the preceding decades, and African American officers remained underrepresented statewide. Smith began her career without a blueprint, mentor, or precedent for someone who looked like her. She entered the academy knowing she would have to define the role herself.
Her early years were marked by isolation, and at times, overt discrimination. Yet colleagues and community members alike would later describe her as steady, professional, and unshaken. Rather than retreat, Smith leaned into the work, patrol assignments, investigations, and community engagement, building credibility through consistency.
Over the course of her career, Smith rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the first Black female deputy chief of Nebraska. In leadership, she helped shape training, operations, and community policing strategy at a time when trust between law enforcement and residents required deliberate rebuilding. She emphasized accountability, mentorship, and visibility, particularly for women and officers of color entering the department after her. She consistently emphasized service to the community and the importance of building trust between law enforcement and residents.
After retiring from the police force, Smith continued her public service through education. At Metropolitan Community College, she taught criminal justice, offering students a rare perspective shaped by firsthand experience at nearly every level of policing, from rookie officer to executive leadership. In the classroom, she has emphasized ethics, professionalism, and the responsibility that accompanies authority.
Brenda Smith’s legacy did not simply enter a space that excluded her, she stayed, led, and made it more accessible for others.
Know a Black community leader whose story should be told? Nominate them by emailing office@lozafina.com.
