Video of Eric Courtney Harris’ final moments on April 2 – following an undercover weapons sting and a foot chase – shows Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Bates announcing he is going to deploy his Taser but then shooting Harris in the back with a handgun.
We have to carry our Taser on the opposite side of our gun because of officers in the past grabbing their handgun by mistake.
This kind of thing has always happened. It’s just being sensationalized by the news. Just like the last study I saw says police actually shoot more white people than black people but that doesn’t get reported because it doesn’t fit the agenda.
There is roughly 700k law enforcement officers in the US that make roughly 12 million arrests every year. Add in human nature to **** things up and the law of averages and bad shit is going to happen sometimes.
Reserve Deputy… 73 years old… Yep there’s your problem right there. Why he felt the need to even pull out anything to shoot the suspect when he was already subdued is beyond me, and an even bigger question that needs answering: who decided it was a good idea to let grandpa in on an undercover operation???
Saw this latest #%^*+ this am; I usually pick up on this stuff fairly quickly. It happened on April 2nd but coverage seems pretty low key for all the fails involved.
I wonder if the almost universal presence of audio and visual is going to have more effect on police reform in this country than anything else could have?
According to the old guys at work, police work has changed significantly in the last 20-30 years. Things that would get you a stern talking to back then are getting people fired now. Things that were commonplace back then are getting guys written up now.
He’s awealthy old dickwho bought a badge and wanted to play cops & robbers.
Robert Bates, the reserve Tulsa County deputy who fatally shot a man who was in a physical altercation with another deputy last week, has donated thousands of dollars worth of items to the Sheriff’s Office since becoming a reserve deputy in 2008…
Bates has donated multiple vehicles, guns and stun guns to the Sheriff’s Office since he became a reserve deputy in 2008, Clark said. The Sheriff’s Office did not have an itemized list of donations made by Bates available Monday and deferred that question to the county commissioners’ office, which tracks those items.
In all fairness, he completed the required training and has worked over 3,000 volunteer hours.
Agencies vary their policies regarding reserve deputies, some use them only at special events - parades, basketball games, etc. Others use them as a second officer in the unit for immediate backup. Some allow qualified reserves to work solo (or with another reserve officer).
A properly supervised reserve program can save an agency - thus the taxpaying citizens - a lot of money, plus make it safer for officers who normally wouldn’t have immediate backup.
FWIW, the deceased subject (Eric Courtney Harris) has a felony record dating back to 1989, to include Robbery With a Dangerous Weapon/Felony AFCF. I haven’t seen a single news source report that, despite it being a public record any 10 year old could find on the internet.
His past conduct is irrelevant. It also doesn’t help him when he basically admits “I shot him on accident” and that are other officers who are callous to the fact that he was shot. Remember the charge is manslaughter which means it was negligent. Just as if you are I had an accident and shot someone.
It wasn’t intended as an excuse, merely a relevant fact to the situation before he was shot. Locally, some have tried to describe him as an “innocent” victim, because the news isn’t reporting who this guy really was. Victim yes, innocent, no. I don’t condone the callous comments and I’m not defending the deputy who shot him. Please don’t take it that I was.
It’s damn disturbing having a reserve geriatric working something like this. How about maybe letting the old reserve officers take care of some admin duties instead of going after violent criminals?
This was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the article. Well, actually it was “editing sure isn’t what it used to be” cause I was pretty sure that they typed his age.
There are mandatory retirement ages for certain jobs for a reason. I was under the impression that LEO was one. If it isn’t it should be or after a certain age admin duties only.
I don’t have a problem with the old guy wanting to volunteer his time (I’m thinking positive and not the I gave you thousands now give me mine); but who in their right minds would allow a senior citizen on patrol. Are they really that desperate for police in that area that they are resorting to this?? Couldn’t they have given him his badge and gun and made him sit at a desk at the station doing the booking paperwork??
Seems like piss poor decision making from a Sherriff led to the death of a guy and another’s life being ruined.
Very valid points. But, I think that dude needs to hang up his tin. No matter what his good intentions were, he killed a man, due to a mistake and he should have to pay for that mistake like anyone else would.
I also think the officer telling him the deceased to **** off should be fired.
