Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen to retire Sept. 30

Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen will retire Sept. 30, 2026, ending more than 47 years with the Tulsa Police Department and setting up a near-term search for the city’s next police chief.

Larsen announced the retirement July 20, according to the City of Tulsa. He became chief in May 2024 and is the department’s 41st chief.

The city said the search for a successor will begin soon and follow standard civil-service hiring practices. No interim chief or detailed search timetable was identified in the announcement.

A leadership change with a defined date

Larsen’s scheduled final day gives Tulsa a specific transition date while leaving the replacement process ahead. The city has not said that a successor has been selected, and the announcement does not identify who would lead the department between Larsen’s departure and the completion of the search.

The change comes as the department is working through public-safety and staffing priorities. A police chief oversees the department’s direction and operations, making the succession process relevant to how Tulsa handles those priorities during the transition.

Larsen’s tenure has spanned more than four decades inside the department. The city’s announcement described his service as nearly five decades and also cited 47-plus years with the department. Those figures reflect the length of his career as described in the release, rather than a new staffing or budget commitment.

Department context

The retirement announcement follows a separate plan for the Tulsa Police Department to establish a fourth patrol division. The Tulsa Regional Chamber reported in March that the planned division would cover an 8.5-square-mile area centered on downtown, with implementation beginning at the late-August shift change.

That patrol change is a separate department action, but its timing places a major operational adjustment close to the start of the chief succession period. The approved information does not establish how the retirement will affect the fourth division or whether the next chief will change that plan.

The City of Tulsa announcement credited Larsen’s tenure with a 100% homicide-unit solve rate and an overall drop in city crime. Those are claims made in the city release; they have not been independently checked here against department data, so they should not be treated as a separate analysis of Larsen’s performance or as proof that any crime change resulted solely from his leadership.

What happens next

The next known step is the city’s start of a standard civil-service search. The city has not provided a deadline for applications, named a selection panel or announced an interim arrangement.

For Tulsa residents, the immediate confirmed change is the September 30 end date for the current chief. Further details about the search and transition will determine how the department moves from Larsen’s tenure to its next leadership.