Alex, Oklahoma Speed Traps

Alex police work Hwy 19 as it runs thru this very small town. City limits are extended far from actual town, Be very carefull here. The day I went to court there were 6 officers and about 150 victims. The town has no other visisble means of support. The radar unit in the car that stopped me had not been calibrated in the past 5 years.

Police wait on side road on other side of hill off HWY 19 east or west side, will ticket for smallest violation, 1 or 2 miles over. Also on North road out of town speed limit stays 45 mph until well out of town. Police wait on other side of river bridge (northbound). Speed limit in town is a 25mph crawl and they love to ticket those on the way to church on sundays. Never had a ticket there but know the officers all to well. They love the power trip. Speed limit signs are exceptionally small and even very rusty at some spots.

You must be very careful traveling through Alex on state highway 19. The speed limit drops from 65 to 50 which is fair enough but the officers give no tolerance whatsoever. In addition, the officers prey on people at night. Most vehichles have two small tag lights illuminating the tag. If so much as one of those tag lights is burned out they will pull you over. This is a ruse to pull you over and see just what they can write you up for. They usually have one officer during the day and two at night in a patrol car. I have three personal experiences. I do not live in or near the town but must travel through it often due to my work. The first time I was pulled over at about midnight just outside of the north side of town. I asked what the problem was and they said I was speeding 45 mph in a 40mph zone. I emphatically replied I knew the speed limit and was only going 40. They let me go. Also the State of Oklahoma transportation department raised the speed limits on the north side of Alex about 3 years ago. The second time I was pulled over was also late at night. I was approached by officers on both sides of my vehicle. The officer on the passenger side was poking his head around my window like he thought I was going to shoot him. Of course, they had their hands on their weapons. I honestly thought If I made a sudden movement they would shoot me on the spot. Both officers were very young and they dress in swat team type gear. Anyway, my crime was that one of my tag lights was burned out. After interviewing me the did let me go. The third time I was pulled over I simply forgot to slow down as I entered the city limits. The city limits sign is posted out in the county. This highway does not go through their town, rather one must turn north to enter the town proper. Anyway, I made the mistake and paid for it. In traffic court the judge went through about 50 citations which is quite a few for a town of approx 300 citizens.

Alex is a typical small town trying not to fade into the sunset. It derives about 85% of its revenue from traffic tickets. Since Oklahoma has no cap on how much of a towns total revenue can be earned from traffic citations, these guys are "going to town" on out-of-towners. If you live in Alex, you are pretty safe, but if you don’t, you’re fair game. Alex has a jurisdiction of just under 8 square miles, but most of the time their officers can be found sitting on Hwy 19 in a little valley on the south side of the road. They will write you for 9 miles over, and probably ask to search your car. They have a K-9, so it doesn’t do too much good to object. If they pull you over, get ready to sit for a while.