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Volunteer Police Program Faces Review After Tulsa Shooting

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday said it has launched an internal review of its reserve deputy program after a reserve deputy apparently confused his revolver with his stun gun and killed a man earlier this month.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday said it has launched an internal review of its reserve deputy program after a reserve deputy apparently confused his revolver with his stun gun and killed a man earlier this month.

 

The April 2 incident, in which reserve deputy Robert Bates shot Eric Harris, has spurred questions about whether volunteer officers should be allowed to perform the same duties as full-time deputies, and donate money and equipment to the agencies under which they serve.

 

Mr. Bates, a 73-year-old insurance-company owner, had been a volunteer at the Tulsa sheriff’s department for years, as well as a donor and friend of Sheriff Stanley Glanz. Mr. Bates was charged with second-degree manslaughter on Monday in connection with the shooting, and was booked and released on a $25,000 bond on Tuesday. One of his lawyers said he intends to plead not guilty.

 

On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma called for a criminal investigation into the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and the resignation of Sheriff Glanz, saying that it has no confidence in his ability “to restore trust between his office and the people the sheriff is elected to serve.” A spokesman for Sheriff Glanz wasn’t immediately available for comment.

 

A state lawmaker separately requested that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma attorney general investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Mr. Harris to ensure an unbiased review of the matter.

 

“I’m very concerned about the handling of the case,” Oklahoma State Rep. Mike Shelton, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, said in an interview.

 

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.
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