Omaha Police ‘slow down’ maneuver confuses, concerns drivers

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A video circulating on social media this week of an Omaha Police patrol vehicle weaving back and forth across lanes of a local expressway garnered some concern.

In the video provided to 6 News, the OPD SUV — with emergency lights on — appears to be traveling slower than the speed limit and moves across all lanes of West Dodge Road near the 132nd Street exit. The person taking the video seems concerned about the driver, wondering whether something was wrong in or with the vehicle, or whether it was a case of distracted driving.

An OPD spokesman confirmed with 6 News that it’s neither of those things.

Actually, the traffic unit cruiser was performing a “traffic slow-down maneuver,” noting there was likely a crash, construction, or other sort of traffic obstruction ahead. While it’s not something Omaha Police execute often, he said, it is one patrolling tool their officers do use.

Though sometimes referred to by a different name, it’s a maneuver utilized by other police departments across the country. In California, they call it a “round robin” or a “traffic break.”

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