Warrant-only arrests were concentrated in north Tulsa. Throughout the city, police arrested Black people for warrants alone at 2.6 times the rate they arrested white people, a reflection of poverty and policing patterns.

People arrested or given citations by police are usually ordered to pay fines, fees and court costs. These assessments can add up to hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Poor people struggle to make payments. Failure to make payments leads the courts to issue arrest warrants and police to make arrests. People arrested for failing to pay are often assessed even more money, and sometimes lose jobs due to the arrest. This cycle contributes to poverty in Tulsa.

Warrants were the leading arrest charge by Tulsa Police, making up almost 40% of the total. “Court costs” was the third leading booking charge in the county jail for people arrested by Tulsa police, indicating that a large percentage of warrants resulting in arrest were for court debt. Many of the warrants were for minor city violations and traffic tickets.