Stanley Glanz announced his resignation after he was indicted by a jury that found he violated the law by selecting Robert C. Bates AKA Bob Bates, his friend and campaign donor, to become a volunteer reserve deputy. The Tulsa Sheriff was said to be aware that Bates, who accidentally shot and killed an unarmed man black man, was not fit for the job.
Stanley Glanz is stepping down next month after spending over 23 years with the Tulsa Police Department. Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz, who has been accused of enabling police brutality by the Black Lives Matter movement, was indicted by a grand jury in regards to the Robert C. Bates/Eric Harris case.
The jury charged Mr. Glanz with two misdemeanors, one for refusing to release a 2009 report that raised questions about Mr. Bates’ ability to perform the job and for false expense reimbursement. Sheriff Stanley Glanz selected Bates, a good fishing buddy, who donated thousands of dollars of equipment to his department and campaigned for his re-election to become a volunteer reserve deputy. Mr. Bates, 74, an insurance broker, who worked briefly as a police officer in the 1960s, took part in a sting operation in April where he accidentally killed 44-year-old Eric Harris. An undercover team set out to make an illegal gun purchase from Harris when he fled the scene.
A video of the incident showed the inexperienced senior citizen mistakenly taking his gun instead of his Taser. In the clip, Bates, who was the 2012 Reserve Deputy of the Year, could be heard saying:
“Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry.”
Bates, who had been an unpaid member of the department’s Reserve Deputy Program since 2008, was charged with second-degree manslaughter involving culpable negligence and could spend up to four years in prison. In a statement issued by Glanz, he revealed that he will resign before November 10 – which is when a hearing in the case was set to take place. He added:
“I know that my decisions have caused some to criticize me both publicly and privately. As sheriff, I take responsibility for all decisions made by me or in my name, but I assure you they were all made in good faith.”
Undersheriff Richard Weigel will replace Glanz. An advocacy group called We the People Oklahoma, which used a petition to have Glanz investigated, said in a statement:
“This is nothing personal. We wish Sheriff Glanz nothing but the best, but this is about the safety of the people of Tulsa County.”
What are your thoughts on Stanley Glanz’s decision?
