TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa leaders worked to expand residents' ability to have a voice in public safety, building on efforts that have been in place for years.
Public Safety Commissioner Laurel Roberts said the city is developing a new Public Safety Community Advisory Board. The board would expand on a program started under former Mayor G. T. Bynum, which focused on community advisory boards within the police department.
WATCH: Expanded public safety advisory board would increase community voice:
The new version would include not only police, but also fire, emergency medical services, and 911 dispatch.
“Even what we’re doing well and how we can continue to do it better,” Roberts said.
The plan calls for nine residents, one from each city council district, to be selected by their councilors. Those members would provide feedback, ask questions, and help shape how public safety services operate across the city.
For longtime community advocate Kathryn Lyons, the idea reflects work she has been doing for years. Lyons said she helped start more than 100 Alert Tulsa neighborhood watch programs beginning in 2011.
“Knowing each one of these people that live behind me and around me is probably the most important thing that can happen,” Lyons said.
Lyons said involving residents directly in public safety discussions is key to making neighborhoods stronger.
“The community has to be involved in each segment of this town,” Lyons said.
She added that having representation at the neighborhood level was a huge benefit.
“As residents, just having our own representation in neighborhoods is really important,” Lyons said.
Roberts said details are still being finalized, including how members will be selected. As of March 29, she said, residents interested in serving can reach out to their city councilors to express interest.
City leaders said the advisory board's goal is to improve transparency, strengthen trust, and give the community a more direct role in shaping public safety going forward.
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