Police FAQ

The office hours for the Cherryvale Police Department are from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday.

During this time we try to keep an officer at the department to answer the incoming calls, and to talk with people who come in. If there is not an officer in the office during this time it is because they are out on patrol or at a call.

Between 5 PM and 8 AM officers will usually be out patrolling unless they are at the office working on paperwork.

When there is not an officer in the police department the phone automatically forwards to the to our dispatcher, which is the Montgomery County Sheriffs Department.

The police department uses the Sheriffs Department as our dispatcher because they are trained dispatchers and my be able to help you while the officer is responding to your call. It also helps the officer know what is going on while they are responding.

PLEASE GIVE TIME FOR THE PHONE TO FORWARD IT TAKES 4 RINGS BEFORE THE PHONE IS FORWARDED and can take a few more rings before the dispatcher picks it up.

No. Kansas State Law doesn't require an officer to show you the radar. This is a safety issue for you and the officer.

False, officers normally try to have the violator's speed locked. But they are not required by law to lock it, only observe the speed.

The simple answer to this question is no. Look at it this way; if you have a department that has seven officers and six of them write 10 tickets in a month and one of them only writes one, the Chief is going to be wondering what that officer was doing with his or her time.

There is a common misconception by the general public that everyone who is arrested MUST be read their Miranda rights. Not true. If an officer does not ask the arrestee incriminating questions about the alleged crime, there is no requirement for Miranda. It gets very tricky, but there are many instances when people are arrested and not advised of their legal rights, especially by the officer in the field. A common example is an arrest for driving on a suspended driver's license. The fact that the computer records show that the license is suspended is prima facia evidence of the violation, so the officer has no need to question the individual for verification.

This could be caused by a number of reasons. Most of the time the officer is sitting in town enforcing the speed limit. If a vehicle comes through town speeding, the officer has to take off from a stopped position, safely enter traffic, then catch up with the vehicle that was speeding. This can take several miles to do, because of the traffic, and road conditions. Once the officer catches up with the vehicle, he most likely will run the tag information before stopping the vehicle.

It isn't uncommon another law enforcement agency may request a vehicle stopped that may have been involved in a crime. Officers have the authority, at the request of say the Sheriff's Department, to stop a vehicle in the county. When an officer has the request for assistance, for instance a reckless driver, and is given authority to stop the vehicle, the officer has the same authority as a sheriff's deputy.

Remember, the officer does not know who you are. Stay in your car turn your dome light on, do not reach for identification or other papers until told to do so, and keep your hands on the steering wheel.

Officers are trained to offset their car in relation to the violator's in order to create a safety gap to walk up on the violator's car. Otherwise, they would be totally exposed to passing traffic and run a greater risk of being struck.

First of all let me say that most cops do what the City, State, and Federal government require them to do. There are times that the officer might not even agree with what has to be done, but he is required to do it. Probably the best thing you can do is go talk with the officer who you have a disagreement with or the Chief. Tell him or her what your disagreement is, in a civilized manner, and let him explain why they did what they did. Believe it or not cops are human too. The officer might have made a mistake.

If you still don't understand you will probably have a court date, and can talk with the judge.

Usually the officer is trying to get to a serious call like domestic violence, or a possible burglary, or he might be trying to catch up with a possible drunk driver and does not want the bad guy to know he is coming. It helps keep him safe and gives the officer the element of surprise.

As stated before, most officers do what the City, State, and Federal government require them to do. Tag lights and turn signals might not seem like a big deal, but they are covered under state law. They also give an officer a chance to see if a driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and to check for warrants.

Just remember Oklahoma Trooper Charlie Hanger stopped a vehicle on April 19, 1995 for a simple tag violation. He ended up arresting the driver, who was later identified after a warrant was issued as Timothy McVeigh (Alfred P. Murrah Building/The Oklahoma Bomber).