The latest available statewide numbers show Tulsa County leads Oklahoma in domestic abuse reports.
The state Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board reported the county had 8,363 such reports in 2023. For context, Oklahoma County — the most populated in the state — had 2,722 fewer reports that year.
Rose Turner, chief administrative officer of Domestic Violence Intervention Services in Tulsa, acknowledged the high reporting rate, but said the numbers are concerning.
“Either way, what we have to look at is, it’s happening, it is very real within our state, within our city,” she said.
Turner said abusers typically “want to control absolutely everything” about an abuse survivor’s life.
She said this could be exacerbated by poverty — Oklahoma’s poverty rate in 2023 was 15.9%, the sixth-highest in the country.
“If you’re considering leaving an abusive situation, one of the first things you would ask yourself is, ‘Do I have the finances? Do I have a house?’” said Turner.
Turner stressed the need to educate the public considering the numbers. She said a lack of education was a common factor in Tulsa County’s 21 domestic violence homicides, the second most in the state.
Regardless if someone flees their abuser, Turner said it’s imperative to educate survivors on what she calls a “safety plan.” This includes a survivor locating things like legal documents in case they have to rebuild their life.
“You always want to be prepared if you would have to leave,” she said.
Statewide efforts
Turner’s comments come as Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has recommended steps to lower the number of domestic violence homicides in the state. In a news release, Drummond noted the state averaged 115 domestic violence homicides from 2019-2023, up from 90 the previous five years. The state is consistently in the top 10 for women murdered by men, Drummond said.
Drummond has recommended Oklahoma form a program focused on providing trauma-informed services to youth and their caregivers impacted by the homicides or severe domestic violence. Turner said she “fully” supports this effort because these experiences impact youth later in life.
Drummond also recommended strengthening victim protection order laws, amending inconsistencies in state domestic violence statutes and allowing prosecutors to consider domestic violence hearsay.
