One of the biggest questions around Gathering Place has been about its security: being a privately-run park, how does it monitor its expansive area?
Park managers say managing security to keep everyone safe is their top priority, and they do so in three ways.
First, Gathering Place has its own security staff, which constantly monitors the grounds, even after the park closes for the night.
And when the park starts getting crowded, Gathering Place Executive Director Tony Moore says management can bring in contracted security, and even off-duty Tulsa Police officers. Contracted security was monitoring the park on a clear Friday afternoon in anticipation of a higher volume of visitors.
Moore says the park staffs security by zones, making sure every zone is properly guarded at all hours. Tulsa Police even have a special task force, monitoring the area around Gathering Place as well as the park itself.
"This is a large community gathering of folks so safety, to us, us our number one priority," Moore said. "We're certainly not doing it alone, by ourselves."
The park also utilizes more than 180 cameras, which are placed throughout the grounds and monitored all hours of the day.
