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City of Tulsa aiming to improve neighborhoods through NCI program

By: Isabel Flores

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TULSA, Okla — The City of Tulsa has kicked off its Neighborhood Conditions Index (NCI) program.

The city gathered data from each district having to do with walkability, access to community resources and buildings as well as crime.

WATCH: City of Tulsa aiming to improve neighborhoods through NCI program

City of Tulsa aiming to improve neighborhoods through NCI program

Districts were then ordered by which ones need immediate help.

The Sequoyah neighborhood is one of the areas in Tulsa that's been labeled as a top priority due to higher crime rates and poverty.

Evona Garner is a resident of the Sequoyah neighborhood.

She said she’s experienced safety issues in her neighborhood, including having her home broken into twice.

“Gunshots that you hear during New Year’s Eve and things like that," she said. "People that wanna ride motorcycles in private property."

But she says it’s nothing in comparison to what some of her neighbors have been through, with some saying drug abuse and gun violence has happened right on their streets.

It’s why the community is hosting meetings with Tulsa Crime Stoppers to teach people how they can find out more about how to report crime and navigate it with law enforcement, through an “Alert Neighbors” program.

The program aims to help community members interact more with their fellow residents and law enforcement.

City Councilor Karen Gilbert is the Executive Director of Tulsa Crime Stoppers.

She said as part of the NCI program, her biggest goal is to educate residents on how to report crime and have open communication with law enforcement.

“Making sure that we build trust within the police department and the residents of the neighborhood, it takes a village," she said.

Residents in Sequoyah will be assigned roles to make sure they can keep tabs on their neighbors to point out suspicious activity if they see it.

That way, they can also report it quicker to police.

Gilbert also said she wants to have better interactions with the community and law enforcement so they can team up when it comes to reporting and responding to crime.

“Bringing police officers out to make sure they’re seeing the same thing residents are reporting," she said.