Investigators are examining how someone gained access to Omaha Roncalli High School during a September 12 break-in. KETV reported that cash, clothing, a backpack, a basketball and the principal's rosary were stolen. A person slipped behind a parked bus, emerged wearing a blue shirt and moved through the school between 7:15 and 9 p.m., apparently using a master key, according to KETV.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that appeared to show the suspect using a master key to access multiple parts of the school, according to KETV. Police said the suspect changed outfits during the break-in and was later seen wearing the stolen backpack while trying to enter another classroom.
Investigators Say the Culprit Likely Isn't a Student
Police do not believe the person responsible is a Roncalli student, KETV reported. Investigators have not said how the suspect may have obtained a master key or gained access to the school, according to KETV.
Nebraska's role in nonpublic-school security
Nebraska law assigns the state school security director a safety-and-security support role for public schools and directs the director to respond to school-security inquiries from private, denominational and parochial schools, according to the Nebraska Legislature. The cited provision describes that support and inquiry-response role; it does not specify a planning requirement for nonpublic schools in the language cited.
School security funding and national guidance
Nebraska law allows approved or accredited nonpublic schools to apply for security-infrastructure grants through the educational service unit serving their area, subject to statutory requirements and available appropriations, according to the Nebraska Legislature. For broader security planning, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency offers a framework for assessing vulnerabilities and planning layered physical-security measures. That guidance does not establish what happened at Roncalli or what access-control practices the school used. The Bureau of Justice Statistics says the National Crime Victimization Survey tracks several property-crime categories, including burglary or trespassing and other theft, and gathers yearly information about crimes at school or while traveling to and from school. Those broad measures do not provide a direct comparison to the Roncalli break-in or, in the information cited here, a specific count for private-school burglaries occurring after hours, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The police report cited by KETV listed roughly $100 in cash and the principal's rosary among the stolen items. KETV reported that no arrest had been made and no suspect had been identified.
How to Submit a Tip
Omaha Crime Stoppers is asking anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be submitted by calling 402-444-STOP, through the organization's website or via the P3 Tips app.
Crime Stoppers says tips are anonymous and tipsters are not asked to testify. A board of private citizens approves reward payouts, which are funded by donations and fundraising rather than the police budget.
