Reserve deputy who shot man wasn’t trained, 2009 report says

Two high-ranking members of the Tulsa (Oklahoma) County Sheriff’s Department created a culture of intimidation that allowed the wealthy reserve deputy involved in a controversial police shooting earlier this month to advance through the ranks without proper training, according to an internal report made public Friday.

The nearly 300-page document, released Friday by the attorneys of the man shot and killed by Reserve Deputy Robert Bates, contains interviews with several sheriff’s officers who said they were repeatedly threatened by then-Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Tim Albin and Capt. Tom Huckeby for criticizing Bates.

“Policy has been violated, and continues to be violated, by both Captain Tom Huckeby and Chief Deputy Tim Albin with regard to special treatment shown to Reserve Deputy Robert Bates with regard to his field training, and with Captain Huckeby and Chief Deputy Albin creating an atmosphere in which employees were intimidated to fail to adhere to policies in a manner which benefits Reserve Deputy Bates,” the author wrote in the report’s conclusion.

The report was compiled in 2009.

Bates, 73, shot and killed 44-year-old Eric Harris during an undercover sting on April 2. The reserve deputy fired one shot, killing Harris, who was unarmed and struggling with another officer on the ground. Bates has been charged with manslaughter and faces up to four years in prison.

Bates contended he reached for his stun gun, and can be heard yelling “Taser” in video of the incident, but instead accidentally drew his firearm.

Many have criticized Bates’ ties to Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz. The reserve deputy is a wealthy insurance executive who has made frequent donations to Glanz’s re-election campaigns. Calls and emails to an attorney for Bates were not returned.

The internal report cites several examples when Bates conducted police actions, including traffic stops, which he was not trained to do. At one point, the sergeant in charge of the reserve deputy program told Bates he needed to complete additional training before he could work in the field on his own.

“Well I can do it and if you don’t like it you can talk to Tim Albin or Sheriff Glanz because I’m going to do it,” Bates said in reply, according to the report.

Another officer told an internal affairs investigator that he was ordered to sign memos, which he did not write, showing Bates had successfully completed certain training programs.

At one point in the interview, the investigator asked Cpl. Warren Crittendon if he believed Bates was “capable of functioning in the field.”

“Nope,” Crittendon replied, according to the report.

It was not clear if Albin or Huckeby faced disciplinary action, though an attorney for Harris’ family told the Times they did not. Multiple calls and emails to the sheriff’s department were not returned.