City Leaders Announce New, Renewed Public Safety Measures in Tulsa, Downtown

6/23/2025

New Downtown Curfew Proposal to go before Tulsa City Council on Wednesday; TPD Launching Citywide Gun Violence Task Force, Downtown Curfew Team

Today, City leaders announced new and renewed public safety measures across the city and in Downtown Tulsa in response to recent acts of gun violence. The announcement today included a proposal to update the curfew ordinance for Downtown Tulsa, implementing a task force focusing on gun violence, and the creation of a team to help enforce the proposed Downtown Curfew.

“Today’s announcement ensures that aggressive steps are being taken to curb violence amongst our youth," Mayor Nichols said. “I want to reassure Tulsans that we are taking measures to intervene in the lives of our youth so that this violence doesn’t have a chance to occur in the first place. I’m thankful for the work of the Council and our leadership at the Tulsa Police Department for banding together to find additional ways to make our city and our downtown safer.”

As proposed, the Downtown Curfew would apply to individuals under the age of 18 from 9 p.m. – 6 a.m. seven days per week following similar language from the citywide curfew already in place, which allows for work and other approved activities by ordinance. The proposal will go before the Tulsa City Council on Wednesday, June 25, and could go into effect as early as Thursday, June 26, following the Mayor’s signature. Final details of the Downtown Curfew are subject to further discussion.

"I'm thankful for the collaboration of our downtown business partners and law enforcement in drafting this policy,” Tulsa City Council Vice Chair Karen Gilber said. “I, along with my colleagues, look forward to presenting this proposal on Wednesday. My hope is this is one of many steps that will ensure downtown Tulsa is a safe place to live, work and play."

While statistically violent crime data has decreased citywide, over this past weekend, one life was lost from gun violence and 16 bystanders were injured by gun violence. During the announcement today, officials also shared that the Tulsa Police Department, along with their law enforcement partners, have taken 883 illegal guns off of the street the past six months, along with a substantial number of illegal drugs.

Downtown Curfew
As proposed, a new Downtown Curfew of 9 p.m. would apply to all youth under the age of 18, seven days per week. The Downtown Curfew is in line with business support and best practices from other agencies across the country and would help ensure that Tulsa police officers are able to limit the amount of underage gatherings in Downtown, especially before people start leaving Downtown venues and bars later in the evening.

A list of FAQs about the proposed Downtown Curfew can be found online at: www.cityoftulsa.org/publicsafety

Additional Public Safety Measures Announced
Mayor Nichols and Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen announced two additional measures being launched as part of efforts to enforce the new curfew proposal and further tackle gun violence in Tulsa.

These measures include:

Downtown Tulsa Police Curfew Team
If/when the new Downtown Curfew is passed, TPD will form a dedicated Downtown Curfew Team to assist in the enforcement of the new ordinance. This team will be tasked with helping identify unaccompanied minors and ensuring they are no longer in Downtown after the approved curfew hours. Additional details on this team are forthcoming.

TPD Gun Violence Task Force
The Tulsa Police Department on Thursday, June 26, will launch a Gun Violence Task Force to further identify some of the root causes of gun violence in Tulsa in an effort to reduce gun-related violence and get more illegal guns off of Tulsa’s streets.

Additional Youth Initiatives

Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families
Funding for the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families is now included in the FY26 budget. The office is the first of its kind that will help the City focus solely on the future of Tulsa’s youth. This office serves as a dedicated function of government designed to meet the needs in our community, helping put more children on a path to economic mobility and get them out of situations that promote youth violence. For more information on this office, visit: https://www.cityoftulsa.org/mayor/education/

Tulsa Community Violence Intervention Grant
The City of Tulsa recently received a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to decrease gun-related violent crimes and homicides in Tulsa by disrupting cycles of violence within the community. The hiring of staff to carry out these initiatives has begun, and the City hopes to use this grant as a pilot for decreasing gun violence in the community. More information about the grant can be found online.

If any community member would like to take part in mentoring or helping the youth in the Tulsa community, email: resilient@cityoftulsa.org