Tulsa homicides near all-time high

ENGLISH

Two deaths in the past week have brought Tulsa’s homicide total for 2016 to 69, just two killings shy of the record set in 2009.

ENGLISH

Antwan Hampton, 40, died Monday of gunshot wounds received at a North Tulsa apartment complex on Nov. 7, and Francis White, 25, died later that night of injuries he received when he was shot in front of an acquaintance’s home on North New Haven on Oct. 30.

With six weeks remaining in the 2016, this could become the most dangerous year in the city’s history, at least as far as getting murdered is concerned.

In addition to the city’s 69 homicides, as of last week in 2016 there have been 376 rapes, 933 robberies, 2,438 aggravated assaults, and nearly 20,000 property crimes.

One of the most proven methods of reducing crime in comparably sized cities has been effective community policing, something that Tulsa lacks. Tulsa Mayor-elect G.T. Bynum has promised to strive for community policing, but has said this can’t be fully implemented until the city boosts the police department’s manpower, which could take years.

Former Tulsa Chief of Police Drew Diamond disagrees. Diamond said there are techniques and policies that “could be put into place tomorrow” to achieve better community policing, after which, Diamond said, “the crime rate will drop.”

What is beyond dispute is that as the debate continues the death toll continues to climb. (La Semana)