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The Bartlesville Police Department released its 2020 Annual Report on Thursday.

To view the report for yourself, click here.

Bartlesville Police Chief Tracy Roles sat down with us on Friday morning to go over the numbers. He also expressed his hopes for the Bartlesville Police Department and the community in 2021.

Special Operations Division Stats & Arrests

Arrests decreased by 14-percent from 2018 to 2019. From 2019 to 2020, arrests decreased by 16-percent. There were just over 350 fewer arrests in 2020 compared to 2019. That graph from the BPD's report can be found below. 

Chief Roles said a positive so far in 2021 compared to the first quarter of 2020 is that property crimes are down 24-percent. Roles said there was a nearly 20-percent increase in violent crimes in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the first quarter of 2020. He said the percentage for violent crimes between the beginning of 2021 and 2020 can be deceiving, however, because the amount of violent crimes is so low. 

There were 22 violent crimes in the first quarter of 2020. 26 violent crimes were committed in Bartlesville in the first quarter of 2021. Chief Roles said there were only four more cases between the beginning of the two years, which is not a significant jump like the percentages might suggest. He said we all tend to freak out when we see a double-digit increase in crime percentages but it helps when you keep the numbers in perspective. Lower numbers in crime numbers make for big increases in percentages if you only add a few cases.

Chief Roles said violent crimes are statistically difficult to proactively control. Roles said they can have a thousand police officers, but they can't be in people's homes where most violent crimes occur. He said it's hard to control the numbers of violent crimes.

When it came to Part 1 UCR Crimes Against Persons such as homicide, rape, robbery, and felonious threats, the BPD's 2020 Annual Report shows that there was a 15-percent decrease between 2018 and 2019. There was a four-percent decrease in these crimes against persons between the 2019 and 2020 reporting period. Check graphic below for more details. 

Property crimes on the other hand are not as difficult to control. Chief Roles said there is data that states that an increased presence of police will lower property crimes. He said it's obvious that criminals are less likely to break into a home or a car if they see a police officer(s) driving around.

As the BPD works on these property crimes and see a 24-percent decrease from the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2020, they can't help but be encouraged. Chief Roles said part of that has to do with policing, but it also had to do with the citizens of Bartlesville being more responsible for their property. Without the citizens, Chief Roles said the BPD can't effectively do their job. He said the BPD is extremely thankful when its citizens get actively involved in the protection of themselves and their property.

Looking at the BPD's 2020 Annual Report, there was a 15.5-percent decrease in Part 1 UCR Crimes Against Property such as burglary, larceny/theft and stolen vehicles from 2018 to 2019. There was a three-percent increase in these crimes from 2019 to 2020. More details are available in the graphic below. 

Chief Roles said a collaboration between policing and citizens is what really brings about change in the city. He said this is what they're seeing take place in the first quarter of 2021, and he would encourage everyone to keep up with the momentum that is already in motion.

It is tough for Chief Roles to determine if they did good policing in 2020 for a variety of reasons. Roles said people were stressed out because there were so many changes that we've never had to really deal with before because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said he hopes that the pandemic is closer to being behind us than in front of us.

Citations & Warnings

When it came to traffic citations, there were a little over 7,000 citations in 2019 compared to just over 5,100 citations in 2020. A decline of over 1,800 warnings was seen as well from 2019 to 2020. The graph below from the report shows these numbers and the total amount of citations and warnings for 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Chief Roles said part of this decline in citations and warnings from 2019 to 2020 was caused by the coronavirus pandemic as people didn't get out of their homes as much to go to work, to go to the store, or to go out and see a friend or relative. He said they also told their officers to relax some lower traffic enforcement procedures like stopping someone with a headlight that's out or someone that had a different equipment issue.

When it was absolutely necessary to conduct a traffic stop because someone was speeding or driving erratically, Chief Roles said they did their job to the fullest. Chief Roles said they only relaxed some of the lower traffic enforcement issues in order to eliminate close contact between officers and the public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Roles said traffic stops were, as always, at the discretion of the officers, whereas calls for service were treated no differently. He said they didn't go into as many houses in 2020 but rather had people come out of their homes and into the open air to talk to them about their situation. The online crime reporting system was also encouraged. 

People may wonder why the numbers were so high in 2019 and Chief Roles would say that those numbers are higher because the BPD's Traffic Unit was deployed. Chief Roles said he hopes they can get back to those numbers from 2019 because the driving habits of Bartians doesn't seem to have gotten any better. He said he recently received first quarter numbers for 2021, and those numbers show that traffic accidents are going up. 

Chief Roles said that there is statistical data that suggests that if they were to increase traffic enforcement than traffic accidents would decrease. Roles said their traffic enforcement numbers have been down in the first quarter of 2021, which suggests that the data is true and that they need to enforce more traffic laws as they did in 2019. He said they wrote 56-percent fewer citations in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the first quarter of the previous year.

In the first quarter of 2020, the BPD wrote 3,386 citations and warnings. In the first quarter of 2021, they wrote 1,465, a 56-percent decrease from 2020. Chief Roles said accidents increased by 21-percent from 2020 to 2021 during the same time period. He said there were 149 traffic accidents in the first quarter of 2021 caused by bad driving behaviors, which the BPD can help control through increased traffic enforcement.

According to Chief Roles, if you see an increased number of traffic stops in the community in the near future, it's intentional. Roles said it's time for the BPD to be more proactive and educate Bartlesville's drivers on the importance of driving properly.

The combined total of citations and warnings increased by 46.4-percent from 2018 to 2019. Those numbers decreased 29.7-percent between 2019 to 2020.

Chief Roles said they combine the numbers for citations and warnings because warnings can be equally as effective as citations are; both serve educational purposes. He said they're not going to necessarily give you a citation just because they pull you over.

Training

Chief Roles joined the Bartlesville Police Department in October 2018 and has pushed the importance for more training right out of the gate.

In 2019, almost every officer with the Bartlesville Police Department had close to 100 hours of training. Chief Roles said the State of Oklahoma only requires 25 hours of training. He said their officers were getting four times the training which is outstanding.

The BPD was bringing different types of training courses to Bartlesville in 2019 as well. Chief Roles said they brought in de-esculation training, use-of-force training, diversity trainings, communication trainings, and much more. He said they brought in courses that were meaningful; the classes were what police officers need to do their job right for the community.

2020 came along and flipped the script. Chief Roles said they had to cancel trainings because no one was holding in-person gatherings. He said they could've done online training but it's not the same as training in-person; it's not as effective as getting as close to the real life situations officers may face on a daily basis. 

2021 offers more promise and hope that the BPD can put on these trainings again for themselves and other law enforcement agencies in the region. Chief Roles said they're excited to keep moving the needle and get back into the classroom because it's important. He said the BPD will always strive to teach their people the right way to do things, to teach their people the right way to treat people, and to give them the tools they need to be successful in any given circumstance.

This training is needed across the country as Chief Roles said they've got to do better with policing when it comes to training their people effectively. Chief Roles said all the training in the world is not going to prevent all the mistakes from happening, but it's a lot better for them to understand their failures if they've been training. When they fail, Roles said they need to recognize it and admit it, and they need to train to prevent it. He said he is excited for the opportunities to open their training process back up.

Chief Roles said the Bartlesville Police Department is one of the only departments in Oklahoma that requires its entire staff to do mandatory defensive tactics trainings. He said the BPD does this mandatory training once a quarter.

The State of Oklahoma and CLEET doesn't require any law enforcement agency to do defensive tactics training. Chief Roles said this is a scary failure because there are plenty of situations where officers need to use their hands to detain a suspect or take control of a situation by placing their hands on someone. Roles said part of the BPD's mandatory defensive tactics training put its officers through their newly acquired MILO Training System that is stationed at Tri County Tech because it helps officers with decision making. He said the MILO training helps their officers on what situations look like in a controlled environment versus out on the street.

Learning to properly handcuff someone or how to properly control a person with one's hands without injuring them is difficult with social distancing in place. Chief Roles said they're looking forward to getting back in-person to train their officers. He said they want to equip their officers for success, which will lead to successful outcomes with the citizens that they serve.

Increasing Staff

The Bartlesville Police Department would like to increase its staffing levels as we get further into 2021. Chief Roles said he doesn't know if the community realizes how many officers they have compared to the number of officers they should have. Roles said they have 63 certified peace officers that serve the City of Bartlesville. He said that's 1.75 officers per 1,000 population in Bartlesville. 

To be at the State average, the BPD needs to be at 80 police officers. Chief Roles said they need 17 more police officers to get there. He said that's just to be at the State average, which is 2.24 offcers per 1,000 citizens.

In order to reach the national average, the Bartlesville Police Department needs to have 90 officers. Chief Roles said the national average is 2.5 officers per 1,000 people. He said the BPD is behind and that they need to catch up.

It costs money to catch up, and to think that the BPD is going to reach their staffing goals this year, next year or the year after might be pushing the envelope, but Chief Roles said they have to make the first step. Chief Roles said the BPD has to move forward so they can get to the State average. He said the BPD and the citizens of Bartlesville deserve an increased presence in police to keep property crimes down and to be more available to those that are in need of the police.

Chief Roles said there is no reason why a community like Bartlesville should have a crime rate that is in the double digits. Role said property crime drives that crime rate, which is something they can control with greater staff numbers, greater training, and greater community presence. He said we can all work together to create a safe community as well.

Diversity Meetings & Public Input

The Bartlesville Police Department wants to resume its diversity meetings and have difficult discussions in 2021. Chief Roles said they want to have conversations with those that may not be as supportive of law enforcement. He said they want to know what they need to do so they can bridge the gap and work together with all in a collaborative method to reach a common goal.

If you have an issue or concern, you can always reach out to Chief Roles because his email is always accessible to the public. Chief Roles said he doesn't know what he doesn't know. He said you can communicate with him openly about things the BPD can improve on or about things that they need to continue to do. His email can be found here.

Chief Roles said he truly cares about what you say and think. Role said he believes you truly have the best intrest of Bartlesville in mind like the BPD does, so they want to hear from you. He said he believes the failure of police departments as a whole is that they don't want to move forward; they don't want to be open minded to doing things differently when change is necessary. 

The BPD is going to continue to be better, no matter what better looks like. Chief Roles said better doesn't mean that they've been doing things wrong, but rather, it means they want to keep doing what they need to do to constantly improve. Roles said they want to be the department that others look to as a shining example. He said they want to be the best police department in Oklahoma. 

Chief Roles said they can only be the best police department in Oklahoma if they have the trust of the public. Roles said everyone has to work together because it's the only way, and the BPD is fortunate enough to be in a community that is supportive of public safety. He said that trust and support goes both ways as the BPD has the backs of its citizens, too.

One of the biggest goals Chief Roles has for his staff in 2021 is that they treat everyone with unconditional respect. Roles said it doesn't matter who the person is, what they look like, how they feel or what they believe in, every person deserves unconditional respect. He said they expect the same unconditional respect in return and everything will be okay.

The McGirt Decision

Chief Roles said the sky is not falling because of the McGirt decision. Roles said the BPD is going to embrace and learn the new process while enforcing the law appropriately. He said there are unanswered questions which can be bothersome, but they're going to figure it out by working together with the Cherokee Nation.

Both the BPD and the Cherokee Nation are going to work for what's right. Chief Roles said they're going to work together because they want what's right just like everyone else does. He said he understands the frustration, but change makes for frustration and we're all going to get through it.

The BPD is continuing to figure the McGirt decision out one step at a time. Chief Roles said they're understanding that they need to send citations for tribal members to tribal court as opposed to municipal court. He said it's a change but they're accepting it for what it is and making the proper adjustments.

Under McGirt and any other changes that may come, Chief Roles said they're going to do what they need to do to keep everyone safe. Roles said they're going to follow the law and serve the citizens of Bartlesville to the best of their ability. He said they'll look forward in 2021 and beyond to be the best police department they can be in the best city in Oklahoma.

To read more on local and state officials talking about McGirt, click here.

To read comments from Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. this week on McGirt, click here.