Correction Captions with this story originally misspelled the name of Tulsa Police Detective Keith Reid. The captions have been corrected.
State and local authorities netted 110 arrests during a multi-agency Violent Crime Initiative in recent weeks, Northern District of Oklahoma U.S. Attorney Danny Williams Sr. announced Thursday.
The sweep marks the beginning of a continued effort to combat crime in a collaborative and comprehensive way throughout the city, Williams and others said.
The operation targeted crime in and around the 61st Street and Peoria Avenue area, specifically between Utica Avenue and Riverside Drive from 56th Street to 68th Street, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan told the Tulsa World on Wednesday.
A majority of those arrested, 79 in total, were suspected in felony crimes.
Authorities seized 24 guns, several pounds of marijuana, more than 56 grams of methamphetamine and $6,710.
"Our neighborhoods and streets should be safe and secure for all members of the community," Williams said at a news conference Thursday morning.
Williams proposed a joint enforcement effort between his office and the following agencies:
- Tulsa police.
- Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris' office.
- The U.S. Marshal Service.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Federal probation entities.
The effort allowed the agencies to fight crime and improve the quality of life for residents in the 61st and Peoria area after a quadruple homicide at the Fairmont Terrace apartment complex on Jan. 7.
The initiative seeks to create safer neighborhoods and encourage economic growth through law enforcement and address the generational cycle of crime through access to counseling and social services.
"Obviously there are social ills that cause a lot of the problems that we're dealing with," Jordan told reporters Thursday morning.
The group is working to identify five to 10 offenders and their families who may benefit from counseling as part of the operation.
"We're not just looking at it as who we can put handcuffs on," Jordan said. "We're looking at who we can keep out of handcuffs in the future."
The operation consisted of 28 to 35 officers conducting three sporadic enforcement cycles that began May 1.
High-profile busts include the arrests of armed robbery suspects allegedly involved in holdups at a cellular communications store at 6837 S. Peoria Ave. and other Tulsa businesses and the apprehension of a couple suspected of manufacturing methamphetamine inside an apartment in the presence of two children.
Officers from the Tulsa Police Department's gang and fugitive warrants units as well as the patrol and detective divisions made up approximately half of the initiative's manpower.
"I couldn't be happier with the collaboration," Jordan said Wednesday.
In addition to residents suspected of criminal activity, suspects known to frequently visit the 61st and Peoria area were also targeted.
"When it came to gang violence and other violent activity, we would take it wherever it led us," Jordan said. "These people don't just stay there. A lot of the people are visitors there, so we go other places to arrest them and to investigate."
Jordan, Williams and representatives of other agencies emphasized Violent Crime Initiative will be expanded to include other problem areas in the future.
"Violent crime and behavior will not be tolerated in our community. We cannot and will not be passive when it comes to violent crime. We will continue with the ongoing operation until our streets and neighborhoods are safe for citizens."
By the numbers
- 110 arrested
- 52 arrested for felony complaints
- 27 arrested on felony warrants
- 18 arrested on misdemeanor warrants
- 15 search warrants served
- 24 guns seized
- $6,710 seized
- 41.69 grams of cocaine seized
- 56.52 grams of methamphetamine seized
- 2,650.23 grams of marijuana seized
- Four juveniles arrested on felony complaints
Amanda Bland 918-581-8413
amanda.bland@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Crackdown on crime
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