LOCAL
Ismael Lele, The Oklahoma Eagle
Brian Kurtz speaks Thursdsay at the Downtown Tulsa Partnership’s annual meeting. Photo: Ismael Lele/The Oklahoma Eagle.
Downtown Tulsa Partnership (DTP) announced Thursday the creation of a community safety coalition aimed at enhancing safety and security in the downtown area.
“Safer Together,” DTP President and CEO Brian Kurtz told community members, is a public information campaign. It will share resources and safety guides with people and businesses moving through or in downtown.
The campaign outlines five specific actions to implement:
- Increase the presence, visibility and response of police and safety personnel.
- Improve coordination among private and public safety groups.
- Update and inform stakeholders with data-driven information.
- Advocate for policy and funding appropriations that increase rehousing and mental health resources.
- Achieve a clean and active public environment.
“Safety means different things to different people,” Kurtz said during the partnership’s annual meeting. “This is an effort to help activate public spaces to provide public safety personnel on our streets and make them visible and responsive, and to provide resources for the things that we need most to address unsheltered homelessness and mental health issues across our community.”
Kurtz told The Eagle that businesses can also register their security cameras with the Tulsa Police Department’s Flock Safety program, which allows police to use community-recorded videos to gather evidence if a crime is committed.
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols spoke at the meeting and championed Kurtz and DTP’s work in the city. Nichols told the Eagle that Tulsa couldn’t maintain clean parks while supporting economic development and safety without DTP’s help.
“All of the challenges and opportunities that we’re having, we’re positioned to address those challenges and be able to take advantage of opportunities. And it really is because of partnership,” Nichols said.
DTP will share resources and updates related to “Safer Together” on its website.
