Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Today, U.S. Attorney Trent Shores, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Assistant Director of Field Operations Thomas Chittum announced the launch of the “2150 Initiative” in memory of Tulsa Police Sergeant Craig Johnson who was killed in June by a multi-convicted felon with a firearm. Sgt. Johnson’s badge number, 2150, was selected for the initiative as a way to honor his life and his commitment to the Tulsa community. Mayor GT Bynum also joined law enforcement in making the announcement.

The 2150 Initiative is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Tulsa Police Department, ATF, and all other local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement partners to combat violent crime by focusing efforts on prohibited persons in possession of firearms as well as those responsible as the “source” of the firearms to prohibited persons.

“At the heart of the 2150 Initiative is reducing violent crime for every citizen in our district,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Through this important initiative, we reaffirm our commitment to investigate and prosecute criminals illegally possessing guns, and in doing so honor Sgt. Craig Johnson’s legacy of service.”

“ATF is proud to honor the life and sacrifice of Tulsa Sgt. Craig Johnson by carrying on his mission,” stated ATF Assistant Director of Field Operations Thomas Chittum. “The 2150 Initiative will combine the three pillars of ATF’s strategy to keep Tulsa safe: partnership, intelligence, and enforcement. We will work tirelessly with our partners to identify, investigate, and aggressively prosecute armed criminals and those who arm them. Commit a gun crime in Tulsa and expect to spend a long time in federal prison.”

“Let it serve as a notice—if you are a criminal and you possess a gun, we will go after you. It is another tool in our tool belt to do so,” said Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin. “When I think of this initiative, I think of action, and action is what Craig Johnson was all about. It is fitting that we can carry that on through the 2150 initiative.”

The Tulsa Police Department recently received an $800,000 Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) grant from the Department of Justice. With this grant, the department added a second NIBIN machine. The Tulsa Police Department also has created a Crime Gun Unit (CGU). This unit focuses and investigates the NIBIN leads developed through the robust NIBIN program within the department as well as shootings, felons in possession, and the sources of the crime guns in Tulsa. All emphasis will be on combating violent crime in Tulsa. An ATF NIBIN contractor is housed within the Tulsa Police Department’s Special Investigations Division (SID) where the CGU is located. The NIBIN contractor works side by side with the CGU investigators and ATF Special Agents to coordinate and investigate the NIBIN leads. To date for 2020, the Tulsa Police Department has seized 1,132 firearms. The TPD SID has been responsible for seizing 261 of those firearms in 2020 (approximately 23% of all the firearms seized by the department). There have been 931 firearms related arrests made by TPD in 2020. Of those arrests, 559 (approximately 60%) have been for Felon in Possession.

Since July, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 30 defendants with firearms offenses, including 23 felons in possession of guns. Other charges include possession of a firearm after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, making false statements to a firearms dealer and possession of a firearm by an alien illegally in the United States.

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