TULSA — Tulsa police plan to increase their presence downtown.
It's part of an initiative for the summer, aiming to make Tulsans and tourists alike feel more safe.
In a news release, TPD called it a "complex issue." They say they are leaning on community partnerships and will focus on educating and enforcing laws.
Namely, they plan to increase presence during major events downtown, helping with traffic control, prevention of break-ins, and watching out for car thefts.
“During the summer months, we have a lot of people out and about in Downtown Tulsa. We want them to feel safe while enjoying all that Downtown Tulsa has to offer," Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a statement.
2 News Oklahoma spoke with a caricature artist setting up shop downtown for the First Friday Art Crawl.
"I think over-policing is kind of dangerous and a slippery slope to go down," Laura Hammond said.
She said on occasion, she encounters questionable people, but her course of action is just to leave them alone.
Tulsa Police conducted a survey in March, April, and May, asking citizens about their concerns with downtown safety.
Traffic and theft concerns showed up in the survey, but homelessness was the number one concern.
In March, 729 people responded to the survey, and 304 listed homelessness as their chief concern.
136 of those people mentioned homeless encampments, while 109 people mentioned harassment by homeless people.
Homelessness topped concerns in April and May with 115 and 124 respondents, respectively.
Tulsa Police listed resources for people to keep in mind.
They can be found by visiting this link.
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