Late yesterday, Tulsa County DA Stephen Kunzweiler revealed that he is so alarmed by the revelations contained in an internal investigation of how Robert Bates' training and behavior were handled that he's already in touch with outside law enforcement agencies with a view toward conducting an independent investigation of the Tulsa County sheriff's office. But we already know one thing without the need for further investigation. Tulsa sheriff Stanley Glanz is manifestly unfit for his post, and must resign--yesterday.
For those who haven't read the report of the 2009 internal review of the Bates affair, it found that chief deputy Tim Albin and captain Tom Huckeby had given Bates preferential treatment by directing employees to forge Bates' training records. They also created an atmosphere in which any complaints about Bates' behavior on the field was not tolerated. This amounted to an announcement in capital letters that Albin and Huckeby should have been fired. But Glanz not only kept them on, but promoted them. Albin is now Glanz' second-in-command, while Huckeby heads the unit Bates was on during the ill-fated raid that resulted in Eric Harris' death.
I know that some law enforcement agencies are notorious about protecting bad cops. But in what world can two members of the rank who direct outright forgery of records not only keep their jobs, but win promotions? Apparently in Tulsa County. In light of this, there is no defensible reason for Glanz to keep his job. He needs to go now while he can still go decently. And if he isn't willing to resign, he needs to be removed--either by recall or by Governor Mary Fallin removing him. I'm not sure how to remove a sheriff in Oklahoma, but if someone can provide details, it's petition time.