Joint task force assisted with Safe Oklahoma Grant money
TULSA – Attorney General Mike Hunter today commended the Tulsa Police Department and other state and federal law enforcement agencies after a successful four-week crime sweep across Tulsa, called Operation Blue Thunder.
In total, the citywide operation made 102 felony arrests, served 55 felony warrants, seized 48 illegally possessed firearms and recovered 17 stolen vehicles.
Officers also recovered 26 pounds of marijuana, 26 grams of cocaine, 8 grams of heroin, over a pound of methamphetamine and more than $38,500 in drug proceeds.
Attorney General Hunter said the continued coordination between state and federal law enforcement agencies will ensure safer communities.
“Today’s announcement of the successful operation is a testament to the dedication of the brave members of the law enforcement community, who worked together to get criminals, guns and drugs off the streets,” Attorney General Hunter said. “These results have made Tulsa and the state safer and shows that collaboration is one of the most effective tools in combating crime.
“The attorney general’s office will continue to support statewide law enforcement through the Safe Oklahoma Grant and offering other assistance where it is needed.”
The task force was assembled in part with Safe Oklahoma Grant money the Tulsa Police Department received from the attorney general’s office. It included 30 law enforcement personnel from the Tulsa Police Department, FBI, ATF, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and assistance from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
The Tulsa Police Department received $296,500 earlier this year from the Safe Oklahoma Grant.
About the Safe Oklahoma Grant Program
The Safe Oklahoma Grant Program was created in 2012 by the Oklahoma Legislature through House Bill 3052. The legislation directs appropriation be made fully available at the end of each fiscal year to the attorney general’s office to distribute to local law enforcement agencies and sheriff’s departments.
After the applications are reviewed, the grants are made on an annual basis. Grants are awarded on a one-year period and continued funding is not guaranteed. Applicants must include the city’s violent crime rate for the previous five years.