Tulsa police complete training for new 3D laser technology

TULSA, Okla. — Officers from the Tulsa Police Gilcrease Division Traffic Unit and Tulsa Police Crime Scene Unit recently completed training and are certified to use new technology that will help collect detailed evidence of a crime scene or traffic collision.

Tulsa police say the new FARO Laser 3D Scanner can collect more than 300,000 data points per second to help diagram and reconstruct an event. The data can then be used to create a detailed 3D animation that can show the scene from all angles and perspectives.

Lt. Stephen Florea with the Gilcrease Division Traffic Investigations Unit said, “It will help us be able to present a story to a jury in a way that they will not only hear what happened, but they can get an idea from their own eyes.”

Florea said it will also allow them to look at the “what-ifs” including what would have happened if there was more lighting, different conditions, or if the driver slowed down.

The equipment was purchased through a JAG grant received last year, Florea said. He first learned about the new technology when the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation used it to document and investigate the death of Tulsa Police Department’s Sgt. Craig Johnson who was shot and killed during a traffic stop.

In 2021, Tulsa police said there have been more than 50 traffic collision deaths in Tulsa. Florea said the Gilcrease Division has responded to 20. Florea hopes the advancement will help during their investigations and prosecutions in the future.

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