Tulsa Crimes Drop 7%

Tulsa's crime rate is down.  In a comparison of the first four months of 2007 with the first four months of this year, The News On 6 found a drop in all crime categories.  The News On 6's crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports on what the numbers mean.

Some crimes are down a lot.  For example, homicides have dropped nearly 60%.  Others are only down a little.  Burglaries have decreased by 2%.  Citizens speaking with The News On 6 say, down is down and they are glad to hear it.

Nobody likes to see crime scene tape being unfurled or cop cars everywhere, especially in their neighborhood, but it happens.   And, the perception is, it's happening more and more.

"I personally think the crime rate, when compared to Dallas and other big cities, is kinda high, but I don't ever feel threatened though," said Jenn.

"You can get into a situation that could go either way and life's too.  It can happen in a New York minute," said Bob.

"I've been here about 30 years. For the first several years, I didn't notice a lot of crime. Seems really bad now and there's a lot more crime in our areas. In the news, you see something every night about robberies or people getting killed for nonsense reasons. Yeah, I worry about it," said Lela.

It seems, though, the tide is turning and Tulsa is finally coming out of its upswing in crime.  In the numbers for January through April of 2007 and the same months for 2008, The News On 6 found:

• Homicides down 57%
• Rapes down 9%
• Robberies down 2%
• Assaults down 2%
• Burglaries down 5%
• Larcenies down 5%
• Car thefts down 33%

In raw numbers, Tulsa had a total of 10,336 crimes in that time period last year, compared to 9,604 crimes this year, for a total decrease of 7%.

"I've been a victim of burglary in the last six months, about six months ago. I work a lot and have little children, so it's good to know crime is dropping. I appreciate it. I love Oklahoma," said Winter.

Tulsa Police tell The News On 6 they are encouraged by the reductions, but they remind residents that there is often a crime spike during the summer months.

Hopefully, that won't be the case this year.