Research Finds Fewer Crimes Occur Near Oklahoma City Parks

Dana Hertneky, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- New research suggests there's more to parks than just a place to play.

On any given day, an Oklahoma City park is likely the busiest place in the neighborhood, and according to new research it's also the safest.

Jonathan Willner, Ph.D. of Oklahoma City University studied nearly 10 years of crime data in the city and found on an average, the farther you get from a park, the more crime there is.

"I just thought that was pretty interesting that there was this very, very clear movement as crime rates went up as you moved away from parks," Willner said.

Willner said he is apprehensive to speculate why at this point in his research. But for those like Mike Delaney who live right across the street from a park, it's welcome news.

"It's a comforting statistic that you can live someplace where it's a benefit for the family and a safety issue too," Delaney said.

Willner did point out that this is an average of all city parks and in some cases there is crime in and around individual parks.

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