Where
can I get phone numbers for the Department?
For a
complete listing
click here.
Where is the Police
Department located?
The Kiowa Police Department is
located at 813 Harrison Street Kiowa, Oklahoma
74553.
What number do I
call for non emergency reports?
Non emergency reports can often be made over
the phone by calling 918-432-5564.
Where can I get a copy
of a report?
Reports
can be obtained at the Police Department.
There may be minimal fees involved for
obtaining reports.
What if my car
was impounded?
Impounded vehicles are released by the
Police Department from 8am to 6pm 7 days a
week. There is a $100.00 impound
release fee required in addition to wrecker
service fees. Click this link to see what's
required.>IMPOUND
RELEASE INFO<
Where do I go to pay a
ticket?
Tickets
and citations can be paid in person or by
mail at City Hall. It is located at
813 Harrison Street
Kiowa, Oklahoma 74553.
How do I
pay a ticket? >CLICK THIS LINK FOR INFO ON HOW TO
PAY TICKET<
Where is the jail
located?
All offenders arrested by the Kiowa Police
Department are jailed at the Pittsburg
County Jail in McAlester, Oklahoma.
Does the police
department mail out free police patches upon
request?
While we
appreciate the interest and support, the
police department is no longer able to
provide police patches due to security
concerns.
What should I do if I’m pulled over by
the Kiowa Police?
It’s understandable
that some people are not sure how to respond
when being pulled over by a police officer
on a traffic stop. Traffic enforcement is
one method utilized to reduce vehicle
accidents, injuries, and property damage on
our streets. Traffic stops are also
conducted in the course of investigating
crimes. It may be helpful to understand why
officers must take certain safety
precautions when making traffic stops.
Officer safety is very important on traffic
stops. A person being pulled over by the
police should be aware the officer is
participating in a potentially dangerous
part of police work. In the annual report by
the FBI on officers killed in the line of
duty, traffic stops are always in the top
three incidents (along with felonies in
progress and domestic disputes). Therefore,
we have to train officers to be especially
careful and cautious during all traffic
stops. For a patrol officer, there is no
“routine” traffic stop.
With those potential dangers in mind, let’s
“walk through” a typical traffic stop and
review some common occurrences. When you
first see the red and blue lights flashing
in your rear view mirror, the officer could
be trying to pull you over or just pass you
en route to an emergency call. You should
use your signal and change lanes to the
right, coming to a stop as safely as
possible. If the officer is stopping you,
the officer will pull in behind you. If the
traffic stop is at night, the officer will
use spotlights to light up the interior of
your vehicle for safety reasons. You and all
occupants of your vehicle should avoid
getting out of the car, unless directed
otherwise by the officer. The officer will
approach your car while trying to stay out
of passing traffic. Officers appreciate
drivers who turn off their car radio; it
makes the officer’s job of communicating
with you a little easier.
Officer safety training calls for the
officer to watch the hands of all occupants.
This is done so an officer is aware of the
actions a person takes inside the vehicle.
Keep in mind that the officer rarely knows
anything about the person he or she is
pulling over, so staying calm and keeping
your hands where the officer can see them is
appreciated.
Depending on the circumstances, the police
officer will often first ask to see your
driver’s license and proof of insurance. (On
a related note, you do not have to carry
your vehicle registration with you in
Oklahoma. It is also a good idea to get rid
of all of those expired insurance
verification forms, they are of no value
anymore and just keep you detained on the
traffic stop longer as you have to thumb
through them.) Once these essential
preliminaries are taken care of, the officer
will generally advise you of the reason for
the stop. If you have a factual response to
the reason for the stop mentioned by the
officer, you can mention it to the officer.
The officer will then return to their patrol
car to run some computer checks. Please stay
in your vehicle during the traffic stop,
unless the officer requests otherwise.
Sometimes these checks are fairly quick,
while other times the officer has to wait in
line and it takes a bit longer. After
running these checks, the officer will
determine what if any enforcement action is
appropriate. The officer will then return to
your vehicle and discuss the situation with
the driver. If a citation is issued, the
officer will ask you to sign it. Traffic
citations are not pronouncements of guilt.
By signing the citation, you are not
admitting any guilt. The suspected traffic
violator will sometimes disagree with the
officer's observation. Because everyone is
entitled to due process, the proper forum to
dispute the merits of a traffic citation is
before a municipal court judge. Whatever the
outcome, the officer generally wants you to
be back on your way in a timely manner. It’s
always a good idea to carefully pull back
out into traffic after the stop.
Police officers realize that some people
don’t necessarily enjoy being stopped by the
police. We hope this information will be
beneficial and provide some context to why
certain things occur. Traffic stops can be a
relatively positive encounter, especially if
they result in safer driving in our
community. The next time you see a Kiowa
Police Officer making a traffic stop, know
that the officer is working to keep our
streets safe for you and your family.
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