The city of Omaha has until the end of the year to spend $2 million or lose it. It stems back to a $7 million federal grant issued three years ago for homeland security.

The money is part of the Urban Area Security Initiative, and it must be spent to benefit Douglas, Sarpy and Washington Counties by December 31. Channel 6 News has learned that nearly $60,000 of it will now be used to send 12 members of local law enforcement and emergency management agencies to Israel.

“The Israelis just are the best at what they do, and they’re forced to be the best at what they do,” says Tim Conahan, a retired Omaha police lieutenant.

Conahan had the opportunity to train with Israeli forces three years ago. He took the governor’s place at a conference at the invitation of the Israeli government and on their dime.

"I was the commander of the bomb squad and the information from my trip really assisted me to be able to handle these types of threats," he says.

The training was not just about handling explosives, but event planning.

“I was in charge of all the event planning for the college world series and every major event that happened in Omaha since 911,” Conahan says. "There are a lot of things behind the scenes that the public are never privy to. And those are the kinds of things that just keep the public a little bit safer, because we realize those large events are a terrorist target."

This Friday, police officers from Omaha, Bellevue and LaVista, as well as members of the Douglas and Sarpy county sheriff's departments, will follow in Conahan's footsteps. The tab will be picked up by U.S. Homeland Security.

Douglas County's Emergency Management Director, Paul Johnson, is among those headed to training in Israel. "The scenarios that are of strong interest to us are those that are involved in the technology and how they're using technology to identify cars, suspects themselves. And they've really done some advanced work in that area."

The governor’s office has approved the allocation of grant funds. However, one prerequisite is that the attendees pass what they learn on to other agencies throughout the state.

"Homeland Security funding comes in and goes out in different ways,” Johnson explains. “We've spent it on the metropolitan medical response system here. A lot of assets go into play, even this week with our N1N1."

Communication between counties and hospitals as well as at vaccination clinics, has been stepped up due to equipment purchased by grant money. “If you take even the radios they’re using there, the radios were purchased with homeland security funding and allow us to communicate during a time like this,” says Johnson.

The Israel trip comes in under the wire, but Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy tells Channel 6 News that nearly $2 million from the 2005 grant remains on the table. It’s designated as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative, so it must be used between Douglas, Sarpy and Washington Counties.

If the grant funds are not used by December 31, the remainder will be forfeited. Johnson points out more of the money will likely have been used once all the invoices reach the governor’s office.

He says the area must be able to afford to maintain anything the grant money buys, so it may not be wise to spend every last dime. Johnson says that’s one reason why there’s been a push toward training.