Tulsa Police Forced To Continue Not Responding To Non-Injury Crashes

Tulsa Police officers are no longer responding to crashes where no one is hurt, and they've been doing that for many months now.

TPD said it had to begin this practice when the city saw a surge in COVID-19 cases in 2020, but then many other things have forced them to continue.

Police say if you're in a crash, you should take pictures, exchange information with the other driver, contact your insurance company and file a police report. 

"It's a civil issue is what it is," said Officer Danny Bean with Tulsa Police. "They can go through the process the same way if we were there."

TPD said it started during the pandemic, then they say the cyberattack on the city affected their computer systems and now, there's a staffing issue with COVID-19 cases on the rise again. 

"It's always been constantly evaluated," said Bean. 

Dan Scroggins, Managing Director for Insurance at AAA, said police do provide an official account of what happened. He said it's important to make sure the right party is at fault.

"Immediately get out of the car and take pictures. If you're not at fault, that's going to prove the positions of the vehicle," said Scroggins. 

Scroggins said even a small fender bender can cost a lot of money. 

"A finder bender could have a $5,000 or $6,000 claim," said Scroggins. 

Oklahoma law states, "every law enforcement officer who, in the regular course of duty, investigates or receives a report of a traffic collision resulting in injury to or death of a person or total property damage to an apparent extent of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or more shall prepare a written report of the collision on the standard collision report form supplied by the Department of Public Safety."

"If someone refuses to give their information, that's a disturbance, we'll show up help. If someone refuses to give it and they leave the scene of an accident, it's a hit and run," said Bean.

You can file a police report online at Tulsapolice.org or pick up a report at any QuikTrip. https://www.tulsapolice.org/default.aspx

Scoggins said police not responding to non-injury crashes is becoming more common in some other states and he believes it's the way of the future. 

"As we go into a more digital future, I think you'll see more of this. You're talking about not only the labor of the officer that would need to respond to that but also you know, the lost opportunity cost of slow traffic," said Scroggins.