Downtown Tulsa Partnership hosted its final public safety forum of the year Tuesday night. Community questions centered on public nuisance issues such as trespassing and noise complaints.
The concerns marked a shift from the August forum, which focused on violent crime, including the Juneteenth Festival shooting that resulted in one death and seven injuries.
City data shows 911 calls to downtown have fallen 9% since early summer. Tulsa Police Capt. Shellie Seibert told attendees she hopes the decrease reflects the department’s expanded enforcement. Those efforts include an alternative response team's extra hours and the addition of a part-time downtown bike patrol.
With those resources, both reports of possible crimes and arrests have surged. Police say arrests from July through September increased more than 200% compared to previous years during the same period, and most of the activity has involved nuisance-related offenses.
Incidents, which are acts that need further investigation, rose as well, something Seibert said is expected when the department ramps up enforcement.
Despite the increases, Downtown Tulsa Partnership President and CEO Brian Kurtz said he is not worried about how the numbers look.
“We know that’s a direct result of more police resources very, very proactively addressing issues on our streets and sidewalks every day,” Kurtz said.
He credited Mayor Monroe Nichols and his administration for improving safety downtown.
