Tulsa County Sheriff shooting of Eric Harris

[Jammie]

Yeah, says something when any of our training comes from that outfit.

From the start I felt it wasn't about age or race. It has been about poor training, leadership and politics. The guy made a mistake but the system he worked in enabled that mistake.

Kudos to the World for finally stepping up against a powerful and politically connected force. We shouldn't wait for the civil suit to get rid of these guys and we should immediately start to look at the history of their arrests.

Amazing to me how many people are willing to swallow the mis-information put out about this case by the deputies because it fits their political viewpoints. Specifically any moron who says, "he shouldn't have run" and "he never heard the gun shot".

That's pretty normal when you read the comments on news stories. I used to think that people have become callous and dumbed down, but now I'm thinking that some people have always been this way and are first able to express themselves in mass media so we can all see how hateful and nasty they are.

Some people read only the title and not the story and just comment anyway. I get so sick of the political rants when the news story involves nothing about it. I just chalk it up to hateful people finding an outlet.

Last night I read a story about the possibility of getting rid of social security numbers and going with a national I.D. number and one poster commented, "That's right. We need to get rid of social security because it's a drain on our system." Odd thing to bring up when "Numbers" was the topic. It was pretty evident some people posted without reading the story first and that isn't unusual.

For some people, it may be easier to believe law enforcement then to accept the fact that some departments are more corrupt then the people they apprehend. I'm definitely not saying this is the case with this dept., just saying it's the opposite of what we were taught as children. You know, about respecting the police and they're all good guys and they're here to help us and protect us, etc. The comments you're referring to are the same ones I've read on every story where someone was murdered by an officer. They probably just copy and paste it from one story to the next.

[swake]

Something that is clear now that I think everyone can agree on. Glanz has to go. He's a relic of bygone era.

Maybe it's time for the whole Sheriff's department to go as a police organization. Have the various cities in Tulsa county be the only police and the Sheriff can herd prisoners around.

[AquaMan]

Something that is clear now that I think everyone can agree on. Glanz has to go. He's a relic of bygone era.

Maybe it's time for the whole Sheriff's department to go as a police organization. Have the various cities in Tulsa county be the only police and the Sheriff can herd prisoners around.

Agreed. However, there is the jurisdiction problems between the cities. The Sheriff covers the whole county and doesn't have to pass off to other cities. Seems like with todays technology that problem isn't as serious as it once was during the "Macon County Line" era. What a change that would effect. Instead of considering merging city and county functions into one all powerful county animal, we could drop the county altogether except for delivering summons' and administering county land. No city/county jail.

[TulsaMoon]

I said it before and I will say it again, so much more to come out. Each time TCSO says something significant the media or the attorneys follow up with the real truth and prove the department wrong.

Much of the statements made are confusing to say the least, but one in particular should stand out above all. The statement of drawing the incorrect weapon. Unless you are able to grow a third arm whenever you want to, it would have been impossible to draw the incorrect weapon since he was armed with both hands exiting the vehicle. He had a Pepperball gun (a two handed weapon) in one hand and a .357 in the other. How then do you draw a taser?

Russ with KRMG was even confused when Sheriff Glantz said at a press interview that the deputy did not draw his weapon. When pressed about this statement by multiple reporters at the time because even they were confused, he doubled down and said he did not draw a weapon. If you know Russ, ring him up and ask. I got that story straight from him during one of the family interviews.

Glantz is correct, the deputy never drew a weapon because he was fully armed exiting the vehicle.

[Vashta Nerada]

I think there is a PhD dissertation here studying the pathology that is the politics and sociology of Oklahoma.

Shannon Clark is only doing the one thing he seems to do best, which is believing his own lies.  Then there's no-blink Smoot...

[Vashta Nerada]

It would be important if they had shot a man and argued it was perceived self defense. "I thought he was going for a gun - sorry." The fact that the man was known to have firearms would matter for sure in that discussion. But that isn't what we are talking about.

When you mistake a 357 revolver for a taser, you are a deadly threat to anyone who may be tased. Drunk people. Mentally handicapped people. People having an episode or on drugs. Protestors. Even college students who as rude questions to presidential candidates get Tased. And yes, people who run from the police for crimes large and small get Taxed. If he "accidentally" shoots any of them to death, it's the same crime.

If I murder a hooker or murder a priest, its the same crime. Who you perpatrate a crime against rarely matters.

Here is a fact that modern Americans too often don't get:
The rights of the "lowest" members of our society are the first to erode. Once you can establish that people society doesn't like have lesser rights, it is easy to erode all other rights. And even of that doesn't happen, if we can take away rights from some, all we have to do to take away your rights is to paint you as an undesirable.

"He was on PCP, committed a crime, and ran from police. We had no choice."

A similar line is very often given when a citizen is killed by the government, in this case it is a half lie - in many cases evidence shows it is a total lie. In all cases, the most extreme exercise of governmental power should be carefully examined by someone outside the group who did the killing.

TCSOs insistance that accidental shootings happen all the time is not so disconcerting because its being used to excuse negligent homicide, but because its true.

TPD, on the other hand, takes the position that they dont have accidental shootings, so when they do, they lie.

"He made a threatening move"  or "I thought he was going to reach for my gun" or "He was gnashing his teeth" have been successfully used to snuff out countless lives in Tulsa, and neither the public or the prosecutors bat an eye.

[heironymouspasparagus]

TCSOs insistance that accidental shootings happen all the time is not so disconcerting because its being used to excuse negligent homicide, but because its true.

TPD, on the other hand, takes the position that they dont have accidental shootings, so when they do, they lie.

"He made a threatening move"  or "I thought he was going to reach for my gun" or "He was gnashing his teeth" have been successfully used to snuff out countless lives in Tulsa, and neither the public or the prosecutors bat an eye.

I can remember one where they said the guy farted at him and became so startled he had to shoot...





Yes...I'm kidding...but not by much!!

[Jammie]

One of the things Eric Harris' brother said during the interview was the family would be interested in knowing exactly when Mr. Bates did the research on how often there's an incidence of drawing a gun instead of a taser. They wanted to know if it was before the shooting or after the shooting.

Today they reran the interview of Mr. Bates and I hope that Mr. Harris' family will listen to it a couple of times and they'll have their answer. I doubt that in their shock and grief their thoughts are too clear, but the answer to that question was already answered by Mr. Bates and that just opens up more questions.

[Hoss]

Well, I will say this much..if the TCSO didn't want a DOJ inquiry into their department, they're not going about it the right way.

[AquaMan]

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when at first we effort to deceive"

Should be the caption on their website.

[Hoss]

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when at first we effort to deceive"

Should be the caption on their website.

He's sounding a little confrontational in the press conference this morning.  At least with his tone.

[swake]

Did you see that Mr "F**f your breath" cop's father is a major and the head of the task force that he and Bates were working on? Does the sheriff's office have rules on Nepotism? Son working for father? The major also is the one that signed off on most of Bate's training records? This doesn't sound iffy at all, not even a little bit. 

Bates also bought sunglasses for the taskforce? Since when are sunglasses official equipment?

The whole sheriff's office is rotten, top to bottom. 

[patric]

Did you see that Mr "F**f your breath" cop's father is a major and the head of the task force that he and Bates were working on? Does the sheriff's office have rules on Nepotism? Son working for father? The major also is the one that signed off on most of Bate's training records? This doesn't sound iffy at all, not even a little bit.  
Bates also bought sunglasses for the taskforce? Since when are sunglasses official equipment?

The whole sheriff's office is rotten, top to bottom.  

They were upset the media isnt focused instead on the Criminal Center expansion.

They definitely need to get out of the SWAT business.
Selling off those big military vehicles will buy some realy comfortable and fuel-efficient patrol cars.  Air conditioning is nice.

But

The FBI has reviewed the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a Tulsa County volunteer deputy and determined that the sheriff's department did nothing wrong, Sheriff Stanley Glanz said Monday.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/20/fbi-reviews-tulsa-shooting/26068507/

[AquaMan]

As usual, its everyone else's fault. An institution that needs to go to rehab.

Plaintiff atty's who have sued them multiple times (gee, I wonder why?),  the media who speculate rather than just repeating our press releases and of course former employees. Cause former employees are always simply malcontents fired for good cause, not people of integrity who refused to sign fake papers.

FBI says we're okay so that's that. Nothing to see here, move along.

[heironymouspasparagus]

As usual, its everyone else's fault. An institution that needs to go to rehab.

Plaintiff atty's who have sued them multiple times (gee, I wonder why?),  the media who speculate rather than just repeating our press releases and of course former employees. Cause former employees are always simply malcontents fired for good cause, not people of integrity who refused to sign fake papers.

FBI says we're okay so that's that. Nothing to see here, move along.

Yeah....but ya know who keeps voting for them...?   And no, it sure as he$$ ain't me!