Police Work Out Plan For The BOK Center

Tulsa Police find themselves in the unusual position of planning for big crowds in downtown Tulsa.  The News On 6's Emory Bryan reports officers have a plan ready to go.

"This is something new.  We've been planning for it for a couple of years, and we're looking forward to kicking it off to see how it works," said Tulsa Police Major Paul Williams.

A major issue they've studied is how traffic will move around the arena, how people will get to and from their cars, and how to make sure everyone is safe.

"Downtown is a very safe place to be, always has been and we want to maintain that," said Tulsa Police Major Paul Williams.

Inside, the BOK Center will have its own security force of off duty Tulsa officers.  When more than 10,000 people are expected TPD will deploy from 20 to 40 extra officers outside.

The police presence will ramp up if other events are planned at other venues downtown.

"And when that happens, we will have, in addition to regular patrol, mounted officers, bike patrol, the Segways when we get them up and running and officers in vehicles basically within the IDL," said Tulsa Police Major Paul Williams.

Already the city has installed signs to direct people who might be unfamiliar with downtown.  The construction on the streets around the building is done.

For most events, 3rd Street will be closed for pickup and drop off.  And, for big events, police will block off other streets as needed to protect pedestrians.

The police developed a map showing all the spots where they'll place barricades and officers and predicting how traffic will flow before and after events.

The first big test will be the grand opening of the BOK Center on Saturday.