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To help the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office cope with budget problems, officials on Monday announced the formation of a nonprofit foundation to help raise private dollars toward providing better law enforcement services.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Foundation hopes to raise $300,000 as soon as possible for its first two priorities: obtaining body cameras for patrol deputies and establishing a citizen advisory board.

Tim Harris, a former Tulsa County district attorney, is serving as foundation chairman. He told reporters that for 16 years as district attorney, he consistently had to scramble to operate his office with steadily shrinking budgets.

“This is an opportunity for the people of Tulsa County to step up and help the sheriff deliver the kind of law enforcement product that he knows the people want,” Harris said. “I’m unabashedly in favor of going to the private sector.

“We just don’t have enough tax dollars, nor do we want to raise taxes in an effort to try to make this happen. So this will be a vehicle through which people can help public safety.”