City of Tulsa talking area safety following deadly Monday at Fairmont Terrace, meets with TPD

TULSA - The fallout from Monday's quadruple homicide continues.

City leaders are taking a good look at improving safety in one of the city's highest crime district's, the area around 61st Street and Peoria Avenue.

"Not just down there but at the corner, it's happening everywhere around us here. It's not just Fairmont," said resident Rachel Riley.

Riley has lived in the area for more than a year.

"Ever since what happened down there, we don't feel safe over here,” she said.
 
She says there are real security issues at her apartment complex, Palazzo Park, which sits just a few hundred yards from the scene of Monday’s murders, Fairmont Terrace.

READ: '4 found dead, shot inside Fairmont Terrace Apartments' (http://bit.ly/Fairmontdeaths)

"Our security gate has been broken for a good six months now,” said Riley.

In light of this weeks gruesome murders, the city council called on Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan to talk about solutions.

"This has been a primary area of focus for us for quite some time,” Jordan said.

A big reason for the problems -- Jordan says -- is drugs.

"People come from all parts of town to that area to deal drugs," he said. "We can arrest 20 people and 40 more show up because there's a profit margin there."

He says TPD patrols the area thoroughly, but better security at apartment complexes can help police do their job more effectively.

READ: 'TPD, Fairmont Terrace at odds over security cameras' (http://bit.ly/TPDfairmont)

"It's kind of been off and on there, there's been times when there's been a real high security presence and crime tended to go down when that happened." Jordan said.

He hopes these discussions produce real results.

"Any dialogue we can have on ways to better reduce crime, I'm always going to be for it," said Jordan.  

Councilor G.T. Bynum says he and other city leaders are also working on a plan to get more residents involved in reporting crimes to keep their neighborhoods safe. 

He plans to meet with public safety officials and other councilors in the coming month to generate ideas.