Another top Sheriff's Office official to resign, reserve deputy program on hold

The head of operations for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office is set to resign and the entire reserve-deputy program has been put on hold, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Maj. Tom Huckeby, who oversaw the task force that conducted an April 2 gun-buy sting which led to the fatal shooting of a suspect, will resign Aug. 1, Sheriff’s Office officials said.

The resignation news came more than a month after a task force operation that Huckeby oversaw ended with a reserve deputy fatally shooting Eric Harris.

The reserve deputy program’s training records have been under review and Sheriff’s Office officials previously announced the suspension of higher-level reserve deputy functions.

In a memo obtained by the Tulsa World, Undersheriff Rick Weigel announced the reserve program would become inactive at 6 p.m. Tuesday until the office has had time to consider any recommendations that result from a forthcoming outside audit.

“During this time no reserve deputy shall wear any part of the TCSO uniform, carry any TCSO weapon, or perform any act as a TCSO reserve deputy,” the memo states.

Tuesday’s full suspension of the program will continue until the investigation of records is complete, a Sheriff’s Office official said.

The reserve-deputy program was in Huckeby’s chain of command.

Sheriff Stanley Glanz previously said he had approached Huckeby about resigning before approving a 30-day leave for Huckeby “to get his head on straight.”

Tuesday’s announcement came during the middle of that leave, making Huckeby the second Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office official to resign in the fallout related to the fatal shooting by former Reserve Deputy Robert Bates during a Violent Crimes Task Force operation.

Sheriff’s Office officials said Huckeby’s accrued vacation time would take him to his first day of retirement on Aug. 1, when Huckeby will be able to apply to receive retirement benefits.

Huckeby began working for the Sheriff’s Office in July 1992 and has an annual salary of $79,680, according to Tulsa County payroll records.

Former Undersheriff Tim Albin resigned and began retirement May 1.

On Monday, Maj. Shannon Clark, the Sheriff’s Office spokesman who also oversaw jail operations, was put on administrative leave “pending further review and evaluation of the job duties and work performance,” according to a Sheriff’s Office statement.

Albin and Huckeby were the focus of allegations in a 2009 internal investigation that found Bates had been elevated in the reserve deputy program through falsified documents.

Albin and Huckeby also were alleged to have intimidated and harassed subordinate staff members into allowing Bates’ participation in the program.

On Tuesday, the Tulsa World reported Huckeby may have also been in violation of Sheriff’s Office policy that doesn’t allow deputies to act in a supervisory role to family members.

Huckeby’s position as head of Uniformed Operations Division gave him oversight of the task forces that his son, Deputy Michael Huckeby, either served on or helped with, including the Violent Crimes Task Force that conducted the April 2 sting.

Video during the operation shows Michael Huckeby with his knee on Harris’ head after Harris had been shot.

Glanz told the Tulsa World that he was unaware the younger Huckeby was under his father’s chain of command. Glanz said Michael Huckeby should have been working in the courts services or jail, not on the operations side of the office.

“I’m not sure about a specific policy, but I didn’t want a deputy working for his father,” Glanz said. “That just doesn’t sit right with me. And I think it may be in the policies not to have direct supervision over someone.”

Glanz said the arrangement was approved without his knowledge by Albin.

Glanz has said he was not notified of Michael Huckeby’s transfer to his father’s chain of command.