Tulsa County, Oklahoma Sheriff Stanley Glanz will resign from office, his attorney said Wednesday, after he was indicted in connection with his investigation of a volunteer deputy's fatal shooting of an unarmed man.
The grand jury also made recommendations for improvements at the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, which were released in a report on Wednesday. Scrutiny of the sheriff and his department came after the April 2 fatal shooting of Eric Harris, an unarmed man, by reserve deputy Robert Bates.
A group of activists, We The People Oklahoma, submitted a petition calling for a grand jury probe of the sheriff's office. On Wednesday, they thanked the community for coming together to call for justice.
The grand jury was convened over the summer to investigate whether Glanz had neglected his duties and whether volunteer reserve deputies like Bates had received special treatment after making gifts to the department. After the death of Harris — who Bates said he mistakenly shot, thinking he had grabbed his Taser — questions arose about Bates' training as well as the thousands of dollars in equipment, vehicles, and cash he had given the sheriff's department, the Associated Press reported.
On Wednesday, the grand jury recommended that Glanz be removed immediately and a hearing on their findings be set for November, the Tulsa World reported. The grand jury also indicted Glanz on two misdemeanors: failing to release a 2009 report related to Bates and being reimbursed financially for driving a personal vehicle.
Glanz released a statement to the Tulsa World:
I know that my decisions have caused some to criticize me both publicly and privately. As sheriff, I take responsibility for all decisions made by me or in my name, but I assure you they were all made in good faith."I truly regret that any of my actions have led to the impaneling of this grand jury and the disruptions in the lives of the jurors and the witnesses.
In its recommendations for the department, the grand jury focused on better management of training records. The panel also recommended the department make its internal affairs investigations more autonomous, and provide an anonymous, documented way for employees to make complaints.
The shooting of Harris remains under investigation by the state. Bates has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.