For many, perception is the reality. 

For Bartlesville Police Chief Tracy Roles, a couple of high-profile cases—including a couple of well publicized murders—has many wondering if the crime rate in the city is really on the rise.

Chief Roles was asked by Bartlesville City Manager Mike Bailey Monday morning on KWON’s City Talk program with Tom Davis if crime was on the rise in Bartlesville.

Roles answered, “There has been a steady increase over the past three years.” However, he noted that the crime statistics from the first quarter in 2018 and the same as they were in 2019.

As for the “perception”of a sharp rise in crime, Roles says,” When you have a few high-profile incidents and one interesting address, you may have that perception that there’s more crime.”

City Manager Bailey agreed.

As for an “interesting address,” Roles was referring to a home on Sooner Drive where a fatal shooting took place earlier this spring ending up with Shawn Lynch being charged in the alleged first-degree murder of his roommate at this home. In July, the same property was searched by police where they found a vehicle in the garage that matched the description of getaway vehicle for two men connected to another fatal shooting in the alley of S.E. 8th Street in Bartlesville.

In that fatal shooting incident, both men of interest turned themselves over to police with one man, Dalton Taylor, being charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 26-year-old Daniel Speck.  

Over all,  City Manager Mike bailey told Chief Tracy Roles live, on the air, that he thought the Chief was doing a good job and complimented him on the way he has restructured the police department with the expected addition of an assistant police chief and the addition of several new reserve officers.