Documents have surfaced confirming that the reserve deputy who shot Eric Harris lacked 150 hours of training to perform the duties he was certified to perform.

Newson6.com:

A newly-released report shows deputies at the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office raised concerns about Reserve Deputy Bob Bates' training for years, but were intimidated to keep quiet. The investigation by the sheriff's office in 2009 reveals Bates received special treatment and equipped his personal vehicle as a police car. According to the investigation report obtained by News On 6, the deputy overseeing Bates' training says he signed off that Bates had 150 hours more training than he actually completed.

The details are pretty scary:

The report from 2009 claims there were red flags right from the beginning. It states when Bob Bates "started operating at the advanced [reserve deputy] level, several other reserves voiced their concerns." The report says a sergeant tried to suspend Bates for failing to meet firearm qualifications, but Major Tom Huckeby and then-Deputy Chief Tim Albin stepped in, saying that was "harassment." When deputies questioned Bates about using his personal car to make unauthorized vehicle stops, the report quotes Bates as saying, "Well I can do it and if you don't like it you can talk to...Sheriff Glanz." Another internal memo from 2008 says Bates, "...has not completed the 480 hour [training] and is not authorized to make traffic stops." In the 2009 report, Bates' field training officer, Warren Crittenden, said Bates was not ready for the field, saying Bates wasn't good at "traffic stops and operations."

This report certainly vindicates the former Tulsa World reporters who broke the story , but it also makes me wonder why their editor was so reluctant to stand behind them.

Watch the Newson6 report:

NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |