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Oklahoma Drivers Handbook Getting Instructions for Police Stops

Stay calm, turn off your car, keep your hands on the wheel.

Instructions like those telling Oklahomans what to do when they get pulled over are a new part of the state drivers manual. The inserts are the result of a partnership between the Department of Public Safety and Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus.

DPS Commissioner Rusty Rhoades said other instructions include turn off the radio, don't make any sudden movements and turn on your interior lights if it's nighttime.

"There’s a lot of information out there — well intended — but we want to make sure we got it exactly right so when folks do get stopped or encounter law enforcement they understand what we are thinking about and kind of what we need them to do to stay safe," Rhoades said. "At the end of the day, that is our sole focus is to protect people."

Rep. George Young said he hopes the state is entering a new era of cooperation between police and the black community.

"It’s a great start to trying to address the situation that many of us have read about and seen," Young said. "The Oklahoma City Police Department even has a booklet that says how to handle encounters with law enforcement."

The information includes what to do if drivers think their civil rights have been violated. It will also be on state driving tests.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.