Turley Residents Hope Neighborhood Watch Will Take Their Community Back

Turley Residents said they’re fed up with crime in their community after men on bicycles rode around stealing from the neighborhood.

Some people have started a community watch program because they said they are ready to take the streets back.

Jason Keith has lived in Turley for 47 years. He said over the last 10 to 15 years crime has gotten out of hand.

"I got tired of watching everything walk off. Everybody around here is hard working people and they can’t sleep at night because they’re worried about their stuff walking away," said Jason Keith, Vice Chairman of Turley Community Association.

Which is why Keith, along with Turley resident Jason Turley, started Turley Community Crime Watch.

"We watch, we patrol the neighborhoods, we patrol up and down the business areas, we look for anybody that is doing any kind of petty theft, criminal activity, anybody dumping,” said Turley.

Both Turley and Keith serve on the Turley Community Association board which met Tuesday night. They said one of the biggest issues facing the community is men on bikes, some riding in through the Osage Prairie Trail, stealing and riding away.

"We do see a lot of men or grown adults on bikes that go around stealing property off of other people's property," said Turley. 

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office showed News On 6 statistics that showed while larcenies have been the most reported crime since January, the number of larcenies has stayed relatively the same from month to month this year.

Tulsa County Undersheriff George Brown said the community watch is a good way for people to help.

"We applaud their efforts. This is a community that is tired of seeing crime, so they have actually taken a proactive step to take their community back," said Brown.

"I grew up here I took my first steps here my kids here took their first steps here my grandkids as well, so it means a lot to me, it’s my home," said Jason Keith.

The sheriff's office said it's in the process of planning a training session with the community watch group. The group hopes to turn itself into a nonprofit and lower crime in the future