Tulsa Police Say Reported Auto Thefts Down 50 Percent In The City

Tulsa Police said auto thefts in the city have dropped about 50% in the last three years.

Investigators said focusing on arresting serial offenders and other strategies has led to the big drop. 

Having a car alarm and locking doors helps stop some thieves.

Now, Tulsa Police are taking it a step further.

"The officers here are locating, identifying suspects or good arrests,” said Lt. Chase Calhoun with Tulsa Police. “We are working in partnership with the district attorney's office to seek stiffer punishment, especially for repeat offenders, and it's not just going after these people who are stealing cars. It's actually looking up broader things, things like firearm violations, narcotic violations, other crimes."

Lt. Calhoun leads the auto theft unit with four other full-time investigators.

"There are different reasons why people steal cars,” explained Calhoun. “Some of that is for financial reason, some of it is for joyriding, and so we have different offenders. Some people will steal cars as a mode of transportation to get from A to B, some people will steal cars to commit other crimes like burglaries, shootings, things of that nature.”

In 2023, there were about 1,800 cars stolen, which is down 27% compared to 2,479 in 2022 and 3,541 hundred in 2021.

As for cars most often stolen, Calhoun said Tulsa sees similar trends as other cities.

"We still have our 1999 to 2006 Chevrolet Silverado, the Ford pickup truck series. Those are still very common stolen vehicles in Tulsa, but we've definitely seen an increase in Kias and Hyundais,” said Calhoun.

Calhoun said on average, his unit can recover four out of every five stolen cars. He said that is thanks to people reporting, officers being proactive, and holding criminals accountable.

Police said tracking devices and cameras have also helped them find stolen cars.

Officers suggest getting a steering wheel locking device for your car because most criminals will not take the time to try to break the lock.

Investigators said everyone should call the police if they see a car that doesn't seem to belong in the area so they can look into whether it is involved in suspicious activity.