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A downtown business owner weighs in on the latest layoff controversy.
It’s been hard to avoid the controversy surrounding the possible layoff of a large number of officers from the TPD. Add to that Police Chief Ron Palmer’s forced exit last week, and the situation has become a full-blown mess. After taking the reins (and the oath) on Friday, our new chief, Chuck Jordan, attempted to reassure us all by saying, “I think they will come back and be everything you want them to be as a department and in keeping the citizens of Tulsa safe.”
I don’t doubt this on principle, mostly because I am certain that our remaining officers will work harder than ever to fill the gaps. But there are issues here that haven’t even been considered yet, much less discussed. One of the biggest hurdles facing downtown Tulsa, especially in light of the soon-to-be-open ONEOK Field, is the perception that downtown is unsafe, filled with the homeless and not a good place for family activities. All of this coming off of a year with a record 70 homicides. The point? Not the best time to be cutting back, at the very least from a public relations standpoint.
Former Mayor Taylor put downtown on the top of her list of priorities. From what he has stated so far, it appears that Mayor Bartlett has the same ambition in this area. But we cannot expect to attract the families from Jenks, Broken Arrow and Owasso if they don’t feel safe. And without those people, we cannot take downtown to the next level and make it the focal point of the entire city. And it is the perception that we are fighting, not the reality.
When I spoke with Scott Vrooman, owner of an architectural company downtown, he didn’t seem to feel an increased threat level. Other than the occasional vagrant, which he said wasn’t any worse than when he officed near 21st and Utica, Vrooman believes that “this element does not represent crime in our opinion, and the layoffs of police force will most likely not affect one way or the other how protected our building is.”
So let’s see what you think.
Do you feel safe downtown?
