Tulsa Police say downtown curfew is helping reduce late-night issues

Tulsa Police say an expanded curfew in downtown is making a noticeable impact, allowing officers to redirect resources toward other crime across the city, including party-related calls and shootings.

The department presented an update to city council members this week, calling the 9 p.m. curfew a success since it took effect in June.

Officers say crowds inside the Inner Dispersal Loop (IDL) are now much more manageable. Before the curfew, police said hundreds of young people would often gather downtown late at night. Now, officers begin contacting groups as early as 8 p.m., encouraging them to leave before curfew begins.

City councilors raised concerns about where those young people are going instead, and whether other neighborhoods may now be experiencing issues as a result. Police say it is still too early to determine long-term effects, but so far, the change is helping free up manpower.

“Because we're not managing a crazy, out-of-control downtown scene, we're able to hop on [other crimes] and respond,” a Tulsa Police representative told council members. “We've been able to actually redeploy some officers to go take care of that.”

According to TPD, 10 curfew-related tickets have been issued since June, with five of them written after midnight. Officers also said downtown business owners have not reported any loss of business since the curfew began.

The current curfew is set to expire on October 22, but the city council has the option to extend it.