Undersheriff Rick Weigel officially took the reins of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning.
The change in command was effective at 8:30 a.m. In an afternoon news conference, Weigel thanked the grand jury that indicted Sheriff Stanley Glanz for its service.
Weigel knows public confidence in the agency is low.
"We want to reassure the community that we see this current situation as an opportunity to redirect ourselves and redefine our objectives and priorities as to how we can best serve Tulsa County," Weigel said.
On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted Sheriff Stanley Glanz on two misdemeanor counts after a volunteer deputy fatally shot an unarmed man in April. Robert Bates has been charged with second-degree mansaughter for the death of Eric Harris. Bates says he mistook his handgun for his TASER when shot the unarmed suspect as he was being restrained.
A leaked 2009 memo suggested Bates, a 73-year-old former insurance executive, received preferential treatment during training. Bates is a personal friend of Glanz, and served as the campaign manager for Glanz's 2012 reelection campaign.
"It is no secret that this agency has suffered a setback in regards to public confidence and the perception of what our role is in serving the citizens of Tulsa County," Weigel said.
He also acknowledged the jury made eight recommendations for improving the sheriff’s office.
"We agree with all eight of those recommendations and will begin immediately to implement them all," Weigel said.
Those recommendations include boosting training requirements for volunteers, improving training records and creating an anonymous way for employees to report problems within the department.
