Tulsa Police Meet With Downtown Businesses Owners, Residents To Discuss Public Safety In Quarterly Forum

Downtown Tulsa business owners and residents had a chance to sit down and talk with police about public safety on Monday.

Concerns about trespassing, graffiti, and traffic violations were all discussed during the forum. 

The intersection of Greenwood and Archer is what brought Cleo Harris to the forum at the Central Library. 

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” Harris said. 

He owns Black Wall Street T-Shirts and Souvenirs and said he has noticed a problem the last few years. 

"You got a lot of traffic down here,” he said. “And you know people get carried away with not paying attention. So you have cars that just blow through. They don't even stop." 

Others brought up concerns about graffiti and the homeless population in the winter months. 

Police said an update to the city's trespassing ordinance that would make punishment stronger has been approved by the city council and now waits on the mayor's signature. 

Captain Jacob Johnston talked about the Real Time Information Center, which launched this year, and says it's been a success so far in solving crimes, with cameras all over the city. He said a handful of cameras will soon be moved from neighborhoods to downtown. 

"Having that little bit of information has been helpful in cases all the way from shoplifting to solving homicides,” Johnston said. 

Harris said he has brought up his traffic concerns to police before and had a conversation with Major Thaddeus Espy at the forum. 

"One of the ways that I can help develop my strategic plan from quarter to quarter is learning from a grassroots level what the problems are. So I feel like I did get a lot of feedback today, and it's really gonna help me out,” Espy said in an interview. 

Harris hopes that conversation turns to action, with more officers patrolling around Greenwood. 

"We're gonna get something done. So we'll see,” Harris said. 

This downtown forum happens quarterly, so the next one is expected to be in the spring.