state highway 62 and Interstate 244 north of Newcastle
I am a service business owner and drive approx 85000 miles each year. I cover mainly the central/south central part of Oklahoma. There are several traps in these small towns but I would classify Newcastle, Oklahoma as the worst I have personally seen. As one travels north or south through their town the speed limits are fair and I really see no problem there. However, when you travel north out of the town the city limit is at the south edge of the Canadian river. The river is the boundry between Newcastle City limits and Oklahoma City. It is also the county border between Cleveland and Grady Counties. The speed limit at this point is 70mph as it is an interstate. The HE Bailey turnpike terminates about one mile from the Canadian river. The turnpike traffic spills into the interstate traffic which runs for approx one mile in Newcastle city limits before it crosses over into Oklahoma City. At night, the Newcastle police hide behind an overpass just before the interstate goes over the river and into Oklahoma City jurisdiction. From the point where the officers sit in their patrol car and the river boundry is no more than maybe 500 feet. They then follow you into Oklahoma City jurisdiction, pull you over and write you a ticket. The river bridge is about a half mile wide. In my own case the officer followed me in a crowd of three vehicles. The officer finally turned his lights on and pulled me over at SW134th street which is three miles out of his jurisdiction. When I refused to sign the ticket because I did not recognize his authority, the officer attempted to pull me out of my vehicle and arrest me. All of this and my crime, according to him, was going 5/10 miles over the speed limit. Remember, I was traveling in a pack of vehicles. Also, he did not even begin his pursuit until we were over 2 miles into Oklahoma City limits. The officer told me he could pursue me to hell and back if I broke the law in his town. Those were his words. But the problem is he did not "begin" the pursuit in his town. He waited until we were 2 miles in the OKC city limits and then picked me out of the three vehicles. I complained to the Oklahoma City Police and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Both said the Newcastle Police should not go out of their jurisdiction unless they initiated the pursuit, ie,lights flashing, in their own jurisdiction. Furthermore, my ticket did not indicate I was pulled over 3 miles out of the City limits. By reading the ticket one would believe I was pulled over and ticketed in the Newcastle City limit. After you sign the ticket the officer can tell the judge whatever he wants. I live three miles north of the city limit and can tell you this is a normal ongoing practice by the Newcastle police. You cannot research this because they do not indicate in the ticket they are pulling you over several miles out of their jurisdiction.
You need to register before posting a comment. This helps us protect the site from spammers. It's free, it only takes a few seconds to register, and your comments will remain anonymous.