TULSA, Okla. — Does the Tulsa Police Department need a dedicated patrol division located downtown?
As the population, tourism, and homelessness issues continue to grow, the department is looking for input.
A public discussion at Central Library on April 15, gathered hotel managers, business owners, and other citizens to provide valuable feedback.
Police Chief Wendell Franklin tasked Major Jillian Phippen to look into the feasibility of a downtown division.
Right now, there are three divisions across Tulsa: Mingo Valley, Gilcrease, and Riverside.
Here's a map:
The department’s headquarters are downtown, but officers there do not respond to citizen calls. The chief’s office and detectives work out of that location.
Phippen said a new “micro division” could improve response times. Many at the meeting told her an established police presence and established relationships with beat officers would make them feel safer, especially at night.
“With this division, it is going to be all the same faces—which is good, right—because then we get to know our area,” said Phippen.
A small but vocal and engaged crowd, including Josh Sanders, wasn’t shy about feedback.
“Having officers knowledgeable of the area and people would be huge,” said Sanders.
WATCH: TPD also opened a new Real Time Information Center inside the current downtown location in August 2023:
As Director of Outreach for the Tulsa Day Center, Sanders was disheartened by many complaints during the meeting about the homeless community, “I hate to hear that. There is a lot of stigma around homelessness, and most of the time, it’s not true. A lot of the time, they are the victim, not the perpetrator.”
Officers said they plan to hold another community meeting in the evening to allow people who work during the day to attend. They also plan to meet with the Tulsa Regional Chamber and other stakeholders, like corporations that are located downtown.
While most people at the meeting agreed a downtown division would be a big asset, there wasn’t as much interest in needing the division to be staffed during the day for walk-in complaints.
One attendee said because police reports are done online, it would not feel necessary.
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