Police: State Grant Helped Crime Rate Drop In NW OKC Neighborhoods

In a year filled with tense relations with police, one area in northwest Oklahoma City is showing how police and residents can work together to turn things around. 

The 4.4 square mile area between NW 27 and N Council Road, and N Melrose Lane and N Council Road has been ground zero for the Oklahoma Safe Act which was designed to put extra money into community policing.

Residents met Tuesday night at Heartland Baptist Bible College on NW 10 Street to learn the state of their neighborhood.

OSA was signed in 2013. Over the past three years, $1.8 million have been pumped into new policing tactics in Oklahoma City.

This year, these neighborhoods are receiving more than $400,000 to fund community policing.

“Most of the money has been going to pay for overtime for officers to work in the area. Not to take calls but to do proactive enforcement,” Oklahoma City police Maj. Dexter Nelson said.

He added, the money also went to promoting things like improving lighting and putting more focus on apartment complexes. Efforts that make neighborhood environments less crime friendly, Nelson said.

All of those overtime hours paid off by reducing violent crime by 42 percent since 2013, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Police credit more focus on the more than 8,000 foot patrols and nearly 5,000 interviews. 

“We know we have good people that live in these areas and we're trying to find out those people that are terrorizing the rest of these people and committing most of the crime,” Nelson said.

But it wasn't all good news. There were still some hot spot areas.

Police also want to keep improving lighting and community involvement hoping to continue the work they've done.