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Some Oklahoma City hotels see dramatic rise in crime during 2024

The city said they are taking steps to help clean up Oklahoma City hotels that have seen a rising crime problem.

Some Oklahoma City hotels see dramatic rise in crime during 2024

The city said they are taking steps to help clean up Oklahoma City hotels that have seen a rising crime problem.

SO, CHANTEL, WHAT DID YOU UNCOVER? YEAH, GUYS, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK, THESE ARE THE CALLS FOR SERVICE. THIS IS JUST AT LINCOLN INN, AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THESE. THERE ARE ASSAULTS. THERE ARE TONS OF DISTURBANCE CALLS. THERE ARE THOSE DISTURBANCE CALLS LEAD TO SHOOTINGS. THERE’S TRANSIENTS, THERE’S RAPES. AND THIS ISN’T EVEN AS MUCH AS SOME OF THE OTHER HOTELS. ALL I COULD DO WAS JUST CRY AND I MEAN, GOD, IT’S. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAPPEN TO MY BROTHER. GABRIELLA VANHOOK RODRIGUEZ IS STILL MOURNING THE LOSS OF HER BROTHER JOEL. THE LATEST VICTIM WHO DIED AT THE LINCOLN IN THE 28 YEAR OLD, WAS FOUND SHOT TO DEATH ON THE SECOND FLOOR. POLICE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR TWO OUT OF THE FOUR SUSPECTS IN THE CASE. KIND OF PEOPLE WOULD DO THIS. KOCO IS OBTAINED CALLS FOR SERVICE THAT SHOW CRIME IN THAT AREA BY THE MOTEL HAS ONLY GOTTEN WORSE. POLICE DATA SHOWS OFFICERS HAVE BEEN CALLED THERE 236 TIMES. SO FAR THIS YEAR ALONE. THAT’S AN INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR’S 202 CALLS. DEFINITELY ATTRACTS SOME SOME VAGRANTS AND HOMELESS IN THOSE HOTELS SEEM TO BE A MAGNET. TIM SHOOPMAN IS A MANAGER AT H&H SHOOTING SPORTS, WHICH IS NEAR THE BILTMORE HOTEL AT I-40 AND MERIDIAN. THAT’S THE SAME PLACE A MAN WAS FOUND SHOT DEAD JUST DAYS AFTER RODRIGUEZ’S INCIDENT. THAT TIME OUTSIDE OF HIS CAR. IN THAT CASE, IS ONE OUT OF 461 TIMES OFFICERS WERE CALLED THERE. THIS YEAR ALONE. THAT’S ON TRACK FOR AN INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR’S 500 CALLS. ALSO, LAST YEAR, OKLAHOMA CITY SUCCESSFULLY SHUT DOWN THE PLAZA IN A HOTEL WITH SIMILAR CALL NUMBERS. WE ASKED ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER LASHAWN THOMPSON ABOUT THE UPTICK AT THESE LOCATIONS. IT’S CONCERNING AND I WANT TO LET THE RESIDENTS KNOW. OUR VISITORS KNOW THAT WE TAKE THESE MATTERS VERY SERIOUSLY. WE’RE GOING TO DO OUR PART TO ENSURE ANY ESTABLISHMENT OR ANY BUSINESS THAT YOU VISIT, OUR CITIZENS, OUR RESIDENTS, THEIR SAFETY IS IN MIND. AND WHILE SHE COULDN’T GO INTO SPECIFICS, THE CITY SAYS IT’S WORKING TO ADDRESS ISSUES BY WORKING WITH PLACES THAT THEY DEEM NUISANCES. LET’S SAY THAT WE HAVE A BUSINESS THAT HAS SOME ONGOING ISSUES OR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY THAT’S OCCURRING AT THE ESTABLISHMENT. WE WORK WITH THE PROPERTY OWNERS TO ABATE THOSE CONCERNS, TO ABATE THOSE ISSUES, TO ABATE THOSE NUISANCE ALL METHODS TO STOP WHAT HAPPENED TO RODRIGUEZ FROM HAPPENING TO ANYBODY ELSE. I JUST WANT JUSTICE FOR MY BROTHER. THAT’S ALL I WANT. AND AGAIN, IF THE CITY DOES NAME THESE DEEM THESE PLACES NUISANCES, THEN THEY CAN TAKE SOME MEASURES LIKE SOME ADDED SECURITY, SOME HIRED SECURITY OR EVEN SOME CAMERAS AROUND THE AREA. BUT AT THIS TIME, THE CITY SAYS THAT THOSE TWO PROPERTIES ARE NOT ON THEIR NUISANCE LIST. I DID REACH OUT TO THE HOTELS FOR COMMENT, AND THEY DECLINE
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Some Oklahoma City hotels see dramatic rise in crime during 2024

The city said they are taking steps to help clean up Oklahoma City hotels that have seen a rising crime problem.

What can be done to clean up Oklahoma City hotels that have seen a rising crime problem? Multiple different shootings have occurred at different hotels across Oklahoma City in recent weeks, but they are only a small part of the larger picture. KOCO 5 obtained the calls for service throughout the past few years at the Lincoln Inn Hotel. Those calls nearly doubled in the past year, and places like the Biltmore Hotel are seeing a steady increase as well. Joel Rodriguez's sister is still mourning the loss of her brother, the latest victim who died at the Lincoln Inn Hotel. "All I could do is just cry. This isn't something that would've happened to my brother," Gabriela Vanhook Rodriguez, the victim's sister, said. The 28-year-old was found shot to death on the second floor of the hotel. Police are still looking for two out of the four suspects in the case. "What kind of people would do this?" Vanhook Rodriguez said. Data from the Oklahoma City Police Department showed officers have been called to the Lincoln Inn 236 times so far this year, an increase from the 202 calls that were placed in 2023. "Definitely attracts some vagrants and homeless in those hotels. Seem to be a magnet for those people," said Tim Shoopman, manager of H&H Shooting Sports near the Biltmore Hotel at Interstate 40 and Meridian Avenue. Just days after Rodriguez's death, another man was found shot dead outside of his car at the Biltmore Hotel. That case is one out of the 461 times officers were called there this year alone. That's on track for an increase from last year's 500 calls. >> Download the KOCO 5 AppLast year, Oklahoma City successfully shut down the Plaza Inn, a hotel with similar call numbers. Oklahoma City Assistant City Manager Lawshawn Thompson spoke about the uptick in crime at these locations. "It's concerning. I want to let the residents know, our visitors know, that we take these matters very seriously. We're going to do our part to ensure any establishment or any business that you visit, our citizens, our residents, their safety is in mind," Thompson said.While she said she couldn't go into specifics, the city said it is working to address the issues by working with places that they deem nuisances. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here."Let's say that we have a business that has some ongoing issues or criminal activity that's occurring at the establishment. We work with the property owners to abate those concerns, to abate those issues, to abate those nuisances. It could be, you know, hire additional security," Thompson said. All of the methods are to stop what happened to Rodriguez from happening to anybody else. "I just want justice for my brother. That's what I want," Vanhook Rodriguez said. Both the Biltmore Hotel and the Lincoln Inn declined to comment. Top Headlines Police search for suspect involved in hit-and-run crash in southwest Oklahoma City Joe Biden's exit, talk of the glass ceiling, a civil rights hero. Takeaways from Day 1 of the DNC 'She was crying': Mom describes scene after hit-and-run suspect crashed into teen's car Driver grabs woman's neck, slams her into car in alleged road rage incident at Penn Square Mall OSBI investigates Watonga officer's use of force after struggle with autistic child

What can be done to clean up Oklahoma City hotels that have seen a rising crime problem?

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Multiple different shootings have occurred at different hotels across Oklahoma City in recent weeks, but they are only a small part of the larger picture.

KOCO 5 obtained the calls for service throughout the past few years at the Lincoln Inn Hotel. Those calls nearly doubled in the past year, and places like the Biltmore Hotel are seeing a steady increase as well.

Joel Rodriguez's sister is still mourning the loss of her brother, the latest victim who died at the Lincoln Inn Hotel.

"All I could do is just cry. This isn't something that would've happened to my brother," Gabriela Vanhook Rodriguez, the victim's sister, said.

The 28-year-old was found shot to death on the second floor of the hotel. Police are still looking for two out of the four suspects in the case.

"What kind of people would do this?" Vanhook Rodriguez said.

Data from the Oklahoma City Police Department showed officers have been called to the Lincoln Inn 236 times so far this year, an increase from the 202 calls that were placed in 2023.

"Definitely attracts some vagrants and homeless in those hotels. Seem to be a magnet for those people," said Tim Shoopman, manager of H&H Shooting Sports near the Biltmore Hotel at Interstate 40 and Meridian Avenue.

Just days after Rodriguez's death, another man was found shot dead outside of his car at the Biltmore Hotel.

That case is one out of the 461 times officers were called there this year alone. That's on track for an increase from last year's 500 calls.

>> Download the KOCO 5 App

Last year, Oklahoma City successfully shut down the Plaza Inn, a hotel with similar call numbers.

Oklahoma City Assistant City Manager Lawshawn Thompson spoke about the uptick in crime at these locations.

"It's concerning. I want to let the residents know, our visitors know, that we take these matters very seriously. We're going to do our part to ensure any establishment or any business that you visit, our citizens, our residents, their safety is in mind," Thompson said.

While she said she couldn't go into specifics, the city said it is working to address the issues by working with places that they deem nuisances.

Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.

"Let's say that we have a business that has some ongoing issues or criminal activity that's occurring at the establishment. We work with the property owners to abate those concerns, to abate those issues, to abate those nuisances. It could be, you know, hire additional security," Thompson said.

All of the methods are to stop what happened to Rodriguez from happening to anybody else.

"I just want justice for my brother. That's what I want," Vanhook Rodriguez said.

Both the Biltmore Hotel and the Lincoln Inn declined to comment.


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