TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa County law enforcement is cracking down on properties that have become an eye sore.
2 News Oklahoma rode along with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office as they investigated violations of state and county codes Thursday. Deputy Richie Gonzales is spent his afternoon investigating crime scenes that may not be the typical crime scene you’d think of.
Gonzales investigates environmental crime happening in the county.
“Environmental crimes can be those that can be littering, for example, trash, rubble, debris, garbage — within 100 yards of the center of the roadway or even 100 yards of another residence," Gonzales says.
Kerrick Edenborough is a zoning inspector with Tulsa County who works closely with Gonzales. Edenborough issues warnings and discusses zoning rules with property owners violating code. If a property owner violates a county code and receives multiple warnings and still doesn’t clean up, Gonzales steps in.
“Dealing with complaints, concerns that constituents may have about a certain property," Edenborough says. “When it comes to complaints it would mainly be like trash or litter, which is probably one of the number ones. Another one would be vehicle."
Since property zoning codes and state law often mirror each other, if you’re breaking a code, there's a good chance you’re breaking a law.
“They contact our office and I look at state statute where environmental crimes are outlined, and then I see what crimes are being violated," Gonzales says. "Then I conduct an investigation, just like any crime scene — I take my photographs, I talk to the suspects. I gather witness statements, and then I write up the criminal report and then I turn it into our district attorney’s office."
Gonzales says his work is important because environmental crimes can indirectly affect others and their health.
“I think there’s a misconception: 'Well I live in county I can do whatever I want on my property.'”
“Part of community policing is we want to improve the quality of life in the community for all the citizens. If someone junks out their land, their property, next to someone who has worked very hard to have what they do have that unfair to that individual. So my job, to protect people and property, that’s just enforcing environmental crimes is an extension of that," says Gonzales.
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