Changes To Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Not Enough For Some

The Sheriff's Office has made a number of changes since the death of Eric Harris, but some people out there argue these changes aren't nearly enough.

Monday, May 11th 2015, 6:30 pm

By: News On 6

Changes To Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Not Enough For Some

Another high ranking member of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office is on administrative leave. Sheriff Stanley Glanz says Major Shannon Clark is on leave pending further evaluation of his duties and performance.

Its the latest in a series of changes made since the death of Eric Harris at the hands of Reserve Deputy Bob Bates.

The Sheriff's Office has made a number of changes since the death of Eric Harris, and we have reported on them along the way. Some people out there argue these changes aren't nearly enough.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office has been in turmoil since Reserve Deputy Bob Bates says he killed suspect Eric Harris by accidentally firing his gun instead of his taser. Allegations have surfaced of preferential treatment of Bates, training issues and much more.

5/11/2015 Related Story: Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Spokesman On Administrative Leave

Despite some calls for Sheriff Stanley Glanz to resign, he's refused.

"It'd be like throwing your hands up and saying, the ship is sinking, I'm getting off first. He's not going to be one of those captains who gets off first," said Terry Simonson, TCSO spokesman.

Special Coverage: TCSO Reserve Deputy Shooting Controversy

Simonson says the sheriff will leave only after he's made things better and restored the organization's integrity.

He says the sheriff's made a number of significant changes, asking Undersheriff Tim Albin to resign, putting the major who ran the task force, Tom Huckeby, on leave for a month, suspending the work of the task force, putting the advanced reserve deputy program on hold and conducting internal investigations of training protocols, the behavior of the two men who arrested Harris and who leaked internal documents.

Now he's put Major Shannon Clark on paid administrative leave and has shuffled many internal positions.

Lori Fullbright, News On 6: "What would you say to the people who say he's waited too late for that? What would you say to them?"
Terry Simonson, TCSO: "He trusted people for quite some time, and if there was fault in that, that's it - but I don't believe he waited too long."

An outside agency will review every aspect of the sheriff's office, the FBI is interviewing former employees, and a group called We the People is now collecting signatures to get a grand jury in hopes of removing Glanz from office.

"He does not fear that. He has nothing to hide; he did nothing wrong," Simonson said.

The company that's going to do the top-to-bottom review of the sheriff's office should be hired by June. As for the petition drive effort, they have 45 days to collect the signatures needed to get a grand jury convened.

We've learned Bob Bates decided not to take his trip to the Bahamas after all. He said even though he had planned it months before the shooting and hated to disappoint his children and grandchildren, he just felt like it was best for him to be home during this time.