Tulsa Police Chief Talks Crime Trends And Holiday Safety

Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larson joined News On 6 for his monthly update on crime trends in the city and holiday safety.

"Crime, especially violent crime, some of it’s down almost 17.5%," Larson said. "The exciting thing for us is, we have 48 homicides. 47 are solved. We’re closing in on solving the 48th. That’s impressive only because for the first time since 1979, we're looking to end the year having solved every homicide that occurred in Tulsa."

Larson credited the department's skilled investigators, saying they are relentless in bringing violent offenders to justice.

"If you create a violent crime in Tulsa, we’re going to find you, we’re going to catch you, and we’re going to bring you to justice," he said.

The department has also seen a 50% decrease in "shootings with intent to kill" from 2021 to 2024.

"We’ve pushed those down from almost 50%, so that's 50% fewer people trying to use a firearm and shoot somebody else," Larson explained.

Looking ahead, Larson is preparing to work with Mayor Monroe Nichols and Public Safety Commissioner Laurel Roberts.

"Our [he and Roberts] job descriptions are exactly the same. We’re both still the heads of our departments," Larson said. "We’re going to do everything we can to support all the positions he’s [Nichols] brought into office."

As the holiday season kicks off, Larson stressed safety, particularly in parking lots and shopping areas. Urging shoppers to lock their cars and keep anything valuable out of sight.

The department is stepping up patrols through "Operation Safe Shopper" to reduce these crimes.

"We want everyone to have a great Christmas, that's our ultimate goal, we want this season to be safe," he said.