Tulsa Police Department Connect program: What to know about the new downtown location

Tulsa police are testing out a new way to reach people downtown. They've opened up a walk-in office where you can talk to an officer or file a report.

Here's what we learned:

Where is TPD Connect? 

TPD Connect is located at 416 S. Main. The office has been open for a few weeks and will continue for another few weeks.

When will it be open?

Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Why open an office location?

"So, something that we wanted to do to reach the downtown community, our downtown residents, workers, anyone who comes through here downtown to explore entertainment, restaurants, things like that, we wanted them to have an area where they could go and see a police officer if they wanted to," said Major Mark Ohnesorge.

What can officers at TPD Connect help with?

"They're available to talk with anyone who has concerns, who needs to file a report, if they have questions about resources, that kind of thing, they can come in and see a police officer and do that in person," said Major Ohnesorge.

What kind of complaints do police typically respond to downtown?

-Vandalism

-Public Intoxication

-Trespassing

Public reaction: 

"[Safety] Is not a concern that I typically have, but it's great to have an office nearby," said Cody Coonce from Bixby.

"It's important to have access to resources and people get help," said Mareo Johnson from Tulsa.

"I think it gives them [people in downtown] peace of mind, you know maybe if they were walking and see there's police down here and something happens. It just gives them that peace of mind," said Steven Watts.

"I hope [the program] takes off and they keep it around and maybe even open a few more."

What's next?

TPD says after a few weeks, they'll take public feedback and data from the TPD Connect pilot and determine if the office is making an impact. After that, they'll work with the city to see if this is something they should operate full-time.

The department already had an office in this location for officers to make reports and take a break in. This program is currently using officers already with the IMPACT team. If the pilot program does well and the city decides to continue, the department will have to determine if they need to hire additional officers and if they will stay in the current location or move to a more prominent location downtown.