Mayor G.T. Bynum has signed a purchase and sale agreement that puts the City under contract to acquire the former State Farm corporate headquarters, 12222 E. State Farm Blvd. S., for the purpose of creating a Public Safety Center.
The Public Safety Center will house Tulsa Police Department headquarters, Tulsa Fire Department headquarters, and the Tulsa Area Emergency Management (TAEMA) with plans to include City Medical and Mingo Valley Police Division.
“Voters said loud and clear at the polls in August that they no longer want Tulsa Police leadership working in a failing building, they no longer want Tulsa Fire Department leadership working in a flood plain, and they no longer want Tulsa Area Emergency Management working in a building without reliable utilities during an emergency,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “We have entered a sales agreement for the City to acquire an existing building within the budget established by voters. I am eager for our first responders to have a better place to work and am excited that we could acquire a property with easy highway access adjacent to other important public services in one of the fastest growing parts of Tulsa.”
The purchase and sale agreement totals $25.5 million, with a closing date scheduled on or before Feb. 29, 2024. Funding comes from a GO Bond sale approved by voters from Improve Our Tulsa Proposition 3 on August 8, 2023. The total voter-approved amount from August for the Public Safety Center was $45.5 million. In addition to the purchase price, the City has budgeted $20 million for reconfiguration, relocation, IT infrastructure, fencing, additional parking, and utility infrastructure serving Police Headquarters, Fire Headquarters, TAEMA, City Medical and TPD Mingo Valley Division.
“I want to thank Tulsans for approving the latest round of Improve Our Tulsa that will allow our public safety departments to collocate in a space that is representative of their needs,” Tulsa City Council Chair and District 3 City Councilor Crista Patrick said. “The City Council and Mayor Bynum toured our existing facilities earlier this year and we all agreed our public servants deserved better. The citizens of Tulsa agreed, and now we are eager to make sure our employees have the space and resources they so desperately need to serve our residents.”
“On July 4, 1969, the Tulsa Police Department moved from 401 E. 4th St. to the new Police Courts Building at 600 Civic Center. The police department had a police force of around 464 officers. We’ve operated in the Police Courts Building for more than 54 years. It shows. We’ve crammed desks in every corner of the building as we’ve expanded to more than 1,100 employees,” Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said. “As a police department, we don’t have the luxury of working remotely. We want an environment we can be proud to work in and we want those people who must visit our facility to know they are working with a top-tier department. The Police Courts Building houses some of our investigative units, victim services, records, and other critical city and county government components. The move to a more modern facility is a positive development for the Tulsa Police Department, community partners, and the Tulsa community. We will create a customer service centered experience for the community and achieve a better working environment for our employees.”
The former State Farm building has been well maintained and is in excellent condition and provides for the relocation of public safety administration across Police, Fire, and Emergency Management out of failing old facilities and into one building that will facilitate greater cross-department collaboration in a more efficient use of space.
“The Tulsa Fire Department appreciates the citizens of Tulsa recognizing the need to have a safe and effective administrative facility for the City’s public safety agencies,” Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker said. “As fire departments across the nation strive to ensure that they recruit and retain firefighters, having an updated fire headquarters also reflects community pride in our department and attracts quality applicants. We are also looking forward to continuing our collaborative working relationship with the Tulsa Police Department and Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency as we share this new facility. The headquarters project is a monumental endeavor for the future of our city, and we appreciate the support of Mayor Bynum and City Councilors in sharing our vision of a professional public safety center.”
“This move represents a major milestone in Emergency Management for Tulsa as we plan to move from the location in downtown where we have been for nearly 50 years into a new facility that will have adequate space, infrastructure, technology, and accessibility to allow us to continue to succeed in our mission to address natural and technological disasters through planning, mitigation, response and recovery operations for the next 50 years,” Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Joe Kralicek said. “We are grateful for the visionary leadership behind this process and for the overwhelming support of the community in making this a reality.”
The former State Farm building is strategically located next to major highways in one of the fastest growing parts of the city and is adjacent to significant public services operated by the Tulsa Health Department and the State of Oklahoma. Included in the deal is not just the building but the furniture and fixtures within, providing greater cost savings to taxpayers. Much of the building has modular walls, which allow for less costly reconfiguration of the space.
Tulsa Municipal Court will remain in Downtown.
The City expects the Public Safety Center to be operational by Q4 2024.
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