Tulsa law officers focus on fire arms

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Prosecutors and law officers are teaming up against illegal firearms in a new program called Project SAFE. Special Action Firearms Enforcement was created to crack down on people

Thursday, January 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Prosecutors and law officers are teaming up against illegal firearms in a new program called Project SAFE. Special Action Firearms Enforcement was created to crack down on people who possess firearms in violent crimes, serious drug offenses or after a felony conviction, said U.S. Attorney Steve Lewis. The program also targets unlicensed firearms dealings and possessions.

Each week different law enforcement agencies will meet with state and federal prosecutors and review reports involving such firearms cases, Lewis said Wednesday. The group will look at what type of weapon was involved, the circumstances of the firearms seizure and the record of the person involved. Authorities then will decide how to prosecute the case based on federal and state firearms laws. "This is really the first time local prosecutors from the district attorney's office and federal prosecutors are meeting together on a regular basis," said District Attorney Tim Harris. "If we can draw on all of our resources, then so be it."

Project SAFE is a combined effort of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, Tulsa County District Attorney's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. As part of the project, ATF agents will record information on recovered firearms and trace the ownership.

Police Chief Ron Palmer said Project SAFE will explore laws that may have been overlooked. He said Tulsa police officers will be trained on both federal and state statures for when they make arrests. Sgt. Wayne Allen said about 1,000 guns are seized by Tulsa police each year. The guns are melted down after they are no longer needed in prosecution.