Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larson on disaster response, downtown safety

Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larson discussed the department’s response to natural disasters and its efforts to increase safety in downtown Tulsa.

TPD’s Role in Natural Disasters

"The Incident Management Team, which we call our IMT team, is nationally certified, and they've actually helped with disasters all over the United States, from the Carolinas to New Orleans," Chief Larson said.

"When we had the derecho, once the sun came up, we immediately started evaluating the damage, what it was going to take to recover," he continued. "All the city departments kick in from Public Works to Stormwater Management to the Parks Department. And we start, the IMT team is at the core of that."

Discussing the response to recent wildfires near Tulsa, Larson explained, "We didn't go there to take over the scene. We went there to say, ‘Here's what we have learned from other major incidences, and here's how we can help.’"

He also emphasized coordination between agencies: "Our best partners are actually like Public Service of Oklahoma, the power companies. They're in constant communication with us."

Spring Storm Season Preparation

"This is Oklahoma," Larson said. "We all know the storm season in Oklahoma, how unpredictable it is. So we will be ready, just like the fire department will, just like Public Works will be, the Public Service Company and Oklahoma Natural Gas, they'll all be ready."

Increased Police Presence Downtown

With Tulsa’s downtown population growing, TPD is focusing on safety in the area.

"We are looking at addressing those quality of life issues," Larson said. "We've had complaints of open-air drug dealing, we've had some complaints of traffic, etc. So you're going to see a much more robust police presence inside the IDL, the inter-dispersal loop."

Regarding the department’s strategy, he explained, "We have a pattern of success with working our entertainment district from Memorial Day to Labor Day... so people see more officers and they feel safe."

Looking Ahead

With storm season approaching and downtown safety efforts increasing, TPD is focused on keeping residents safe.