Kevin Canfield
Tulsa World Reporter
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City councilors indicated Wednesday that they plan to keep the new downtown curfew in place until at least October 2026 while limiting the days it is in effect to just Fridays and Saturdays.
That was the general consensus among councilors after they received an update on the initiative from Tulsa police and an organization representing downtown business owners and other stakeholders.
“I think, if the request is, should we continue it? Should we modify it? Should we put it down? I think what we’re seeing end over end is we’re really, truly talking about Friday and Saturday night,” said TPD Deputy Chief Mark Wollmershauser. “And so, while it’s implemented Thursday through Saturday, Thursday is just not a thing, and so Friday and Saturday night has really been where it has helped us keep events manageable.
“It then allows us to move crowds along that are congregating on sidewalks, instead of hundreds of additional people that shouldn’t be in a bar and entertainment district anyway due to their age.”
Public Safety Commissioner Laurel Roberts told councilors police have issued eight citations issued since the curfew was implemented and that there have been no major incidents downtown involving youth.
“We have seen very good success with it,” Roberts said.
The curfew, which applies to individuals younger than 18, has been in effect since June 26. It prohibits juveniles unaccompanied by an adult from being within the Inner Dispersal Loop from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
It does not prohibit young people from eating dinner, attending a concert or participating in other events downtown that extend beyond 9 p.m., but it does require them to leave downtown after the event is over.
Tulsa has had a separate citywide juvenile curfew since 1995. The hours for that curfew are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights and from 12:01 a.m. until 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Establishment of the downtown curfew was prompted by a series of violent incidents downtown over the summer, including fatal shootings involving young people, and complaints from business owners that large groups of unruly youth were creating a dangerous environment for anyone downtown late at night.
Councilors are scheduled to vote on the downtown curfew modifications at their 5 p.m. meeting Oct. 22. Public comments will be received prior to the vote.
The primary changes to the curfew to be considered are extending it to Oct. 22, 2026, and limiting it to Friday and Saturday evenings. Councilors have also asked that TPD and the Mayor’s Office provide quarterly updates on the curfew and downtown crime.
Brian Kurtz, president and CEO of Downtown Tulsa Partnership, said the majority of business owners have been supportive of the measure. He cautioned that it is not a silver bullet that will address all of the issues facing downtown.
“It’s a tool that helps, but it is also, in the words of some people, it’s not solving all the problems,” Kurtz said. “And continuity is important for conditions to be maintained … the curfew is only as good as enforcement moving forward.”
He urged councilors to retain the measure in some form.
“My fear is saying, ‘Hey, it’s the end of October, we’re going to let it stop,’ is, we still don’t have enough time to fully test and to fully see the impact that this can and should have in downtown.”
kevin.canfield@tulsaworld.com
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Kevin Canfield
Tulsa World Reporter
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