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Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Had "System-Wide Failure"

Tulsa County Sheriff

A review team says an Oklahoma sheriff whose friend shot an unarmed suspect while working as a reserve deputy last year presided over a department suffering from a "system-wide failure of leadership and supervision."

Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz stepped down in November. Former reserve deputy Robert Bates has pleaded not guilty to a second-degree manslaughter charge filed after the killing last April of Eric Harris. Bates said he mistakenly pulled a handgun while reaching for a stun gun and mistakenly shot Harris.

The sheriff's office hired the Texas-based Community Safety Institute to review the agency following Harris' death.

CSI said the agency had been in a "perceptible decline" for more than decade, with many disregarding policies and procedures.

The sheriff's office said it will comment next week.