Newswire: May 20-June 2

TCSO fallout continues

More high-ranking officers in the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are on their way out the door after the April 2 killing of Eric Harris by reserve deputy Robert Bates. May 12, the sheriff’s office confirmed the official suspension of its reserve deputy program and the resignation (effective Aug. 1) of Maj. Tom Huckeby, who oversaw the sting operation that killed Harris.

Huckeby’s son, Michael, was one of two officers in the video of Harris’ shooting. The younger Huckeby, who has been reassigned to another department, held his knee on Harris’ head as he gasped for breath.

The reserve deputy program will be suspended until the office has time to review recommendations from an external audit. In the interim, reserve deputies may not wear any part of their uniforms, carry weapons issued by the sheriff’s office or perform acts normally carried out as a reserve deputy.

The announcements came less than 24 hours after TCSO spokesperson Maj. Shannon Clark was placed on administrative leave. In the interim, Terry Simonson (see p. 12), a former aide to Mayor Bartlett, is handling public information. Simonson is the head of intergovernmental affairs and contract administrator for the sheriff’s office.

May 8, a judge approved a petition calling for a grand jury investigation into 20 areas of interest within the sheriff’s office. Organizers were given 45 days to collect 5,000 signatures from Tulsa County voters.

Although a judge previously granted Bates special permission to take a month-long vacation to the Bahamas, Bates’ family canceled their trip in response to public pressure. Amidst calls for his resignation, Glanz has said he will not seek re-election in 2016.

For more on the state of policing in Tulsa, read Ray Pearcey's "Tresspassing with a salad"

Legislature eyes end of 2015 session

Although several bills continue to wind their way through the legislative process, Oklahoma’s 2015 legislative session must adjourn by 5 p.m. on May 29. Among the bills still on the table this session is House Bill 1714. Authored by Rep. Doug Cox (R-Grove) and sponsored by Sen. Wayne Shaw (R-Grove), the bill would subject people driving machinery-propelled watercraft to the same alcohol and drug restrictions as drivers on the road. First-time offenders would receive 30-day license suspension, with longer suspensions for additional convictions and the potential for stricter penalties for commercial drivers.

The legislation would not prohibit alcohol or open containers on boats. It unanimously passed through the House earlier this session and is stuck in a conference committee as the two chambers negotiate acceptable provisions before sending it back to the Senate.

Also still under consideration are two $25 million bond proposals, one to fund the construction of the OKPOP Museum in the Brady Arts District and another to finish the work on the American Indian Cultural Center in Oklahoma City. Both proposals were passed out of the committee level on May 14.

The legislature is also required to have a balanced budget set for fiscal year 2016 before session’s end. Officials expect to have $611 million less to work with for the coming year, thanks in part to tax cuts and slumping oil and gas revenues.

Bridenstine Azerbaijan trip under scrutiny

First District Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Tulsa) is one of 10 members of Congress under investigation for traveling abroad on another government’s dime. Bridenstine, nine other legislators and 32 staff members took an all-expenses paid trip to a conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2013. According to a 70-page report published May 13 in the Washington Post, Azerbaijan’s state-run oil company funneled funds for the trip through American non-profits, which filed false statements with Congress claiming they were sponsoring the conference. ConocoPhillips, previously headquartered in Bartlesville, was among the conference’s legitimate—albeit smaller—sponsors.

The findings have been referred to the House of Representatives’ ethics committee for investigation of possible violations of congressional rules and federal laws that bar foreign governments from trying to influence U.S. policy.

Other lawmakers on the trip include Reps. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Leonard Lance (R-N.J.), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ted Poe (R-Texas) and then-Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas).