What Is Operation SAFE?

Operation SAFE is a state-led enforcement initiative created and put into action by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

It is carried out primarily by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) and other state agencies.

When and Why It Was Implemented

Operation SAFE was launched in response to growing visibility of homeless encampments on state-owned land, including areas in and around Tulsa. The Governor’s stated goal was to improve public safety, cleanliness, and order.

What Operation SAFE Does

Under Operation SAFE:

• Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers enter homeless encampments on state property.
• Individuals are told they cannot remain in those locations.
• Encampments are cleared and removed.
• People are directed to leave the area.
• Some individuals may be offered transportation to shelters or treatment facilities if space is available.
• Refusal to leave can result in arrest or citation.

What Operation SAFE Does Not Do

Operation SAFE does not:

• Create new housing.
• Guarantee shelter placement.
• Provide long-term mental health care.
• Address the root causes of homelessness.
• Ensure continuity of medical treatment or case management.

Why It Matters

Operation SAFE shifts responsibility for homelessness to law enforcement, even though homelessness is primarily a housing and healthcare issue, not a criminal one.

Its purpose is to clear homeless encampments from state-owned land, including areas in and around Tulsa. Officers remove camps, tell people they cannot stay, and direct them to leave the area. In some cases, people may be offered transportation to shelters or treatment facilities if space is available. Refusal to leave can result in citation or arrest.

Why This Doesn’t Align With Tulsa’s Public Goals

Tulsa leaders have publicly committed to reaching “functional zero homelessness” by 2030, which focuses on:

• Expanding shelter capacity.
• Coordinating services.
• Reducing evictions.
• Using housing-first strategies.

Operation SAFE moves in the opposite direction.

Instead of coordination, it creates disruption.
Instead of housing-first, it uses enforcement-first.
Instead of stability, it causes displacement.

Clearing encampments without guaranteed housing breaks continuity of care, scatters people away from service providers, and makes long-term placement harder. It may reduce visibility in the short term, but it undermines the very systems Tulsa is trying to build to reduce homelessness permanently.

The Core Problem

Even with mental health training, law enforcement is not designed to deliver housing, healthcare, or long-term support. Homelessness is a housing and health issue, not a public-order issue.

Bottom line, Tulsa’s path to functional zero requires stability, coordination, and trust.
Operation SAFE introduces instability, fragmentation, and fear.

Those approaches don’t work together!