Tulsa public-safety chief outlines women-focused recruitment, trail-safety and victim services efforts

Commissioner Laurel Roberts, the City of Tulsa's commissioner of public safety, told members of a city commission on Friday that city efforts on safety will emphasize recruitment and retention of women in police and fire, improved support services for victims of violence and public education about trail and neighborhood safety.

Roberts said the police department is pursuing a ‘‘30 by 30'' initiative to reach 30% female representation by 2030 and is using pathway programs with colleges to recruit and train new officers. "We're starting to see our numbers go up," Roberts said, noting recent academy classes that offered up to 30 positions and that previous classes had much lower fills.

The commission is completing a unit of inquiry on health, safety and empowerment and had invited Roberts to explain city initiatives, current data and immediate safety concerns. "We are in the third unit of inquiry," Mara Lada, chair of the commission and executive director of the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium, said in opening remarks, introducing Roberts to speak about safety.

Why this matters: Roberts framed the recruitment and inclusion work as both workforce and…