Turner Park’s Kobus Sculpture was recently rededicated just as the park is set to welcome tens of thousands of visitors throughout the summer. The sculpture, which honors the fallen OPD K9, was recently recast in bronze and reinstalled on the north side of Turner Park.
About K9 Kobus
K9 Kobus served with the Omaha Police Department for six years and was due to retire in a few months when he was killed in January 2016. He died in the line of duty while attempting to apprehend a criminal who had barricaded himself inside an Omaha home. The individual inside the home fired at Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies and Kobus was deployed into the home to apprehend the subject. Sadly, Kobus was shot and died at the scene.
Sculpted and Cast by Local Artists
Artist Michael Torres, owner of Omaha’s de la Torre Art Design, created the original sculpture which was placed in Turner Park in 2017. In honor of Kobus, and to enable the community to visit and pay tribute to Kobus for decades to come, the Omaha Police Foundation commissioned Omaha sculptor Les Bruning to recast the original artwork in bronze.
The sculpture is one of the neighborhood’s most popular art pieces, and was originally part of the Horses of Honor Omaha program.
About the Omaha Police Foundation
Established in 1999, the Omaha Police Foundation is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is supervised by a 15-member board of directors. The Foundation’s mission is to promote and strengthen the Omaha Police Department by providing financial support and creating community partnerships to ensure it has highly qualified officers who have the training, equipment and technology needed to prevent crime, save lives, and make Omaha a safer community. Over the past 25 years, the OPF has raised over $8 million to fund a variety of initiatives not covered by funding from the City of Omaha. For more information visit www.OmahaPoliceFoundation.org
