Tulsa Authorities Reportedly Falsified Reserve Deputy's Training Records
According to the Tulsa World, police supervisors were instructed to falsify training records for the Tulsa reserve deputy who killed a man earlier this month when he accidentally fired his gun instead of a taser.
Robert C. Bates—a 73-year-old reserve deputy who allegedly got the job thanks to his financial contributions—was ultimately charged with manslaughter for mistakenly shooting Eric Harris. But according to the Tulsa World, authorities first tried—apparently in vain—to cover up his lack of training.
Supervisors at the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office were ordered to falsify a reserve deputy’s training records, giving him credit for field training he never took and firearms certifications he should not have received, sources told the Tulsa World.
At least three of reserve deputy Robert Bates’ supervisors were transferred after refusing to sign off on his state-required training, multiple sources speaking on condition of anonymity told the World.
Additionally, Sheriff Stanley Glanz told a Tulsa radio station this week that Bates had been certified to use three weapons, including a revolver he fired at Harris. However, Glanz said the Sheriff’s Office has not been able to find the paperwork on those certifications.
A Tulsa County spokesperson tells the paper, “The training record speaks for itself. I have absolutely no knowledge of what you are talking about... There aren’t any secrets in law enforcement. Zero. Those types of issues would have come up.”
[image via AP]
