April 17^th

Somebody’s lying; it looks like it’s somebody, maybe several somebodies, in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, police department. Tulsa is where Mr. Bates, a 73 year old deputy, mistook his .357 magnum for a Taser and shot a struggling felon in the back. When interviewed later, flanked by his attorney and some grim-faced female relatives he commented that such mistakes were not all that unusual. He’s sorry; but hey, stuff happens.

It seems that Mr. Bates training records are “missing” from the department files. Oh pshaw! Bates claims he had all of the training he was supposed to get, and that he has a signed paper to prove it. That’s not very convincing given that three officers claimed that he did not pass the appropriate firearm tests. Instead of de-certifying Bates the three officers were transferred to other duties. (That’ll teach them!)

Mr. Bates has a particularly cozy relationship with the police chief who is also well up in years. Bates is a very wealthy insurance man who has donated much money to the police department; he also chaired, and generously contributed to, the police chief Stanley Glanz’s re-election campaign. When asked about this interesting potential conflict of interest Glanz is quoted as saying, “What, I’m not supposed to have friends?” Chief Glanz, and the deputies who were busy swearing at this quickly dying felon on the ground, are all a bit tone deaf to appropriate police procedures. Their comments are on the record.

The Chief is not apologizing for his coziness with Bates; he’s said he would do nothing different if he had to do it again. Bates is quite apologetic about the killing…although he claims mistaking his .357 magnum for his Taser, “Could happen to anybody.” Possibly; but this is probably more likely to happen to 73 year old guys who may not have had the expected training. Most police departments require officers to retire well before 73; they can serve longer but must pass a rigorous physical test first.

The Tulsa Police Department is investigating itself in this matter. While Bates has been charged with manslaughter it is unlikely that he will actually do any time. He does have friends in high places and that is a better weapon than a good attorney. On the other hand, Bates is heard on tape confessing to a mistake when he shot Eric Harris; now the question is how much Eric Harris’ heirs will collect from the Tulsa Police Department for wrongful death; probably a lot more than Bates has contributed to that police department.

Lest we think this is just a peculiarity of southern police departments, consider the case of Oakley, Michigan; this hamlet of slightly less than 300 people had a reserve force of over 100 deputies. That was until just last year when the state of Michigan began looking into the sale of these credentials by the police chief.  If you are looking for a chance to become a licensed deputy and carry a gun wherever you wish there are surely other tiny municipalities eager to make a buck. Hey, money talks just listen around!