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Main Page California Highway Patrol
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: WaterPistola

I know there has been another thread like this, but it's closed and i have a few questions for anyone on here that might have worked for CHP.

http://www.chp.ca.gov/recruiting/index.html

Posted by: LA Copper

I've never worked for them but I've worked around them for years. Maybe I can help..

Posted by: PapaBear

I will be happy to help you out as much as I can. You may either PM or email me; or, just post your questions here and I will do what I can.

Here is the site for the CHP if you have not seen it before: CHPForums.com

Here is my e-mail address:

meandwt@msn.com

Posted by: LA Copper

Papa,
What office did you retire from? Are you an original "right coast" person?

Posted by: PapaBear

Quote:

Originally Posted by LA Copper

Papa,
What office did you retire from? Are you an original "right coast" person?

I retired out of the Ontario Office (Rancho Cucamonga Now). I was raised in CA. My wife is from Chicopee, MA. We married there and moved to CA in 1963.

Posted by: LA Copper

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaBear

I retired out of the Ontario Office (Rancho Cucamonga Now). I was raised in CA. My wife is from Chicopee, MA. We married there and moved to CA in 1963.

I see. Did you ever do any time out of the Los Angeles office at the 10 and 110?

Posted by: SinePari

I went through the military expedited process about 8 years ago but had to come back east for family reasons. Couple of questions: I never figured out if they have take home cruisers or not, and does the state Corrections Officers union still piggy-back on all contracts with the CHP?

Posted by: PapaBear

Quote:

Originally Posted by LA Copper

I see. Did you ever do any time out of the Los Angeles office at the 10 and 110?

I transfered from the Santa Fe Spriings (Norwalk) office to Central Los Angeles when that office opened in 1969 and worked there until 1973.

I then went to the Pomona office and in 1974 returned to CLA until 1979. I worked motors - primarily on the Hollywood Freeway and the Pasadena Freeway. Occassionaly I would work the the other freeways, but generally only when I was training a new rider.

In 1969 I went to Southern Division, promoted to Sergeant, went to East Los Angeles for a year and then to Ontario.

Retired in 1992.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinePari

I went through the military expedited process about 8 years ago but had to come back east for family reasons. Couple of questions: I never figured out if they have take home cruisers or not, and does the state Corrections Officers union still piggy-back on all contracts with the CHP?

With respect to taking a patrol car home: basically, no! Motor officers take their motors home. Some special duty positions take their units home and resident post officers take their units home. The majority of the officers do not.

There was a recent ruling that separated the CCPOA from the CHP. They are no long attached to our benefits bargaining. The ruling was made in favor of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen - the bargaining unit for CHP officers. When the CCPOA was on the piggyback, they did not have to do much in the exchange process and that was ruled to be an unfair labor issue. So, they are on their own.

Posted by: Truck Trooper

I often wondered if they ever called the CHP Officers Troopers. Is there any legislation that prevents the title?

Posted by: PapaBear

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truck Trooper

I often wondered if they ever called the CHP Officers Troopers. Is there any legislation that prevents the title?

In short, no! California Vehicle Code section 2250 legislates the title of OFFICER

Quote:

The California Highway Patrol

2250. The California Highway Patrol in the Department of the California Highway Patrol consists of the following members: the commissioner, the deputy commissioner, assistant commissioners, chiefs, assistant chiefs, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and officers.

Amended Sec. 9, Ch. 270, Stats. 2005. Effective January 1, 2006.

Posted by: LA Copper

Papa,
Sounds like you've worked all the "right" areas to see some good stuff over the course of your career. If I were working with you guys, I would like to have worked in Los Angeles during the first part of my career and then try to transfer somewhere near Big Bear or Yosemite or farther up north where it looks more like New England. One of the benefits of being able to transfer around the state.

I was speaking to one of your brethren the other day at the CP of our OIS in Northeast Division (you may have seen it all over the news a few days ago). By coincidence he is related to a New England Patriots quarterback from the 70s and 80's. Small world!

Hope you enjoy your retirement!

Posted by: PapaBear

Quote:

Originally Posted by LA Copper

Papa,
Sounds like you've worked all the "right" areas to see some good stuff over the course of your career. If I were working with you guys, I would like to have worked in Los Angeles during the first part of my career and then try to transfer somewhere near Big Bear or Yosemite or farther up north where it looks more like New England. One of the benefits of being able to transfer around the state.

I was speaking to one of your brethren the other day at the CP of our OIS in Northeast Division (you may have seen it all over the news a few days ago). By coincidence he is related to a New England Patriots quarterback from the 70s and 80's. Small world!

Hope you enjoy your retirement!

Indeed, indeed! I have had my fun. It is time for the youth to take over and carry the torch into the future.

Thanks!

Posted by: tms1989

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaBear

Whats a resident post officer?

Posted by: PapaBear

Quote:

Originally Posted by tms1989

Whats a resident post officer?

A resident post officer is an officer that is assigned to and lives in some of the more remote areas of the state. For example Dorris, CA is a resident post. If you look at a CA map, Dorris is in the Northeast corner of the Siskiyou County South of Klamath, Oregon - far from humanity. We also have a resident post in Eagle Pass about half way between Barstow and the Nevada State line on I-15 in San Bernardino Co. There are a number of others throughout the state. Each resident post has three to four officers assigned to it and they either mail their paperwork into their home office or drive to the home office a couple of times a week. Direct supervision is almost non-existant. Each officer in a resident post must be dependable, competent and flexible to the needs of the area.

Posted by: PaulKersey

Papa,

I see you were on the job during the Newhall incident. I imagine those were tough, trying times for your department, and CA. law enforcement as a whole. I remember they used to use this incident as training in our academies. They used to tell us to just dump/drop our empty shells when reloading the revolver.
Apparently, when investigating the Newhall incident, one or two of the fallen officers were still holding their empty shells in their weak hand. I guess this was practiced at the range. {As you train, you perform}

Nice pictures by the way. Thanks for your many years of service- to your state, and the country.

To those unfamiliar with the Newhall incident, here's the info.

The words Newhall and tragedy became forever synonymous on April 6, 1970. On that day four young California Highway Patrol officers lost their lives in a 4-1/2 minute gun battle that left four women widows and seven children, ranging in age from 9 months to 4 years, without fathers. The tremor that rolled through the CHP - and in fact, all law enforcement - spoke of grief for lost comrades and their suffering families, of organizational concern with the urgency of rethinking high-risk stop procedures, of humility imposed by such a catastrophic event, and then, the iron resolve to prevent a reoccurrence.

The 25th anniversary of this sad day was observed in April, 1995, at the present Newhall Area office, where a brick memorial pays tribute to Officers James Pence (6885), Roger Gore (6547), Walt Frago (6520) and George Alleyn (6290). The memorial once stood at the former Newhall office, but was rebuilt at the new site, about one mile from the scene of the slayings, which occurred in a restaurant parking lot just before midnight.

Officers Frago and Gore had been alerted by radio of a vehicle carrying someone who had brandished a weapon. They spotted the car, fell in behind, called for backup, and began the stop procedure. When the subjects' vehicle had come to a halt in the parking lot, the driver was instructed to get out and place his spread hands on the hood. Gore approached him and Frago moved to the passenger side. The right-side door suddenly swung open and the passenger sprung out, firing at Frago, who fell with two shots in his chest. The gunman, later identified as Jack Twinning, then turned and fired once at Gore, who returned fire. In that moment the driver, Bobby Davis, turned and shot Gore twice at close range. Both officers died instantly.

When Pence and Alleyn drove in moments later, they could see neither suspects nor downed officers, but immediately came under fire. Pence put out an 11-99 call ("officer needs help") then took cover behind the passenger door. Alleyn grabbed the shotgun, and positioned himself behind the driver-side door. Both officers were mortally wounded in the ensuing exchange, and one subject was hit.

Suspects Jack Twinning and Bobby Davis escaped, later abandoned their vehicle and then split up. For nine hours, officers blanketed the area searching for the killers. Twinning broke into a house and briefly held a man hostage. Officers used tear gas before storming the house, but the suspect killed himself using the shotgun he had stolen from Officer Frago. Davis was captured, stood trial and convicted on four counts of murder.

Bobby Davis was sentenced to die in the gas chamber, but in 1972 the California Supreme Court declared the death penalty to be cruel and unusual punishment and in 1973, the court modified Davis's sentence to life in prison. For many years, he was incarcerated at Folsom State Prison, but was last known to have been moved to Pelican Bay State Prison, the home of California's most notorious criminals.

In the weeks immediately after the four deaths, the emotionally charged follow-up investigation sometimes lingered on fault-finding, but ultimately achieved the desired catharsis - a completely revamped set of procedures to be followed during high-risk and felony stops, with emphasis at every step on officer safety. If there can be such a thing as a silver lining in a cloud this dark, it would be the renewed focus on officer safety - a concern still uppermost even thirty years later.

Firearms procedures have changed fundamentally, physical methods of arrest have been perfected, the police baton has become a more integral element of enforcement tactics, and new protective tools (such as pepper spray) have become part of the officers' standard equipment. Along with these have come far more comprehensive training - all combining to make uniformed personnel more alert and better prepared for the inevitable dangers faced by CHP officers.

At the 1995 memorial ceremony, family members and colleagues of the dead officers joined dignitaries and Highway Patrol officers who didn't know the four men, but whose lives have been influenced by that fateful night in 1970. Officers Walt Frago, Roger Gore, James Pence and George Alleyn will live forever in that special place of memory which the Highway Patrol reserves for those who have given their lives while on duty. These four remain unique, because their memories evoke a sorrow never quite put behind us, and the knowledge that their sacrifice ultimately made the Highway Patrol stronger, wiser, more resolute.

Posted by: LA Copper

I live nearby that location and drive by it all the time. It certainly was a shame, that's for sure.

Posted by: msw

Papabear, you probably know the answer to this. At one time, in the not too distant past, wasn't the official title of a CHP Officer..... "State Traffic Officer"? And the CHP badge said "State Traffic Officer" right on it? How recently did it change to just ...... "Officer"?

I worked with a lot of old South LA and West LA Chippies during my time as a Patrol Dep at Firestone (1980 - 1984) and Patrol Sgt at Lennox (1985 - 1993).... most of them retired now. Great bunch of guys, backed us up on a lot of capers, fun times.

Papabear, for those New England kids interested in a career with the CHP, you might explain to them the differences between a State "Highway Patrol", like the CHP, and a "State Police Force" like the Massachusetts State Police. A lot of similarities, but some significant differences too.......... something I never really understood as a MA cop, before I moved to California in 1977.

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by msw

Papabear, for those New England kids interested in a career with the CHP, you might explain to them the differences between a State "Highway Patrol", like the CHP, and a "State Police Force" like the Massachusetts State Police.

CHP gets to work investigations at roller discos.

I saw it on TV.

Posted by: LA Copper

Mark,
I know they used to say "traffic officer" when I first came out here. I believe now they say "officer."

Delta,
You're right, I saw Ponch and Jon in those discos too!

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by LA Copper

Delta,
You're right, I saw Ponch and Jon in those discos too!

They were working with LAPD in those episodes....you didn't get the memo??

Quote:

Originally Posted by msw

Papabear, you probably know the answer to this. At one time, in the not too distant past, wasn't the official title of a CHP Officer..... "State Traffic Officer"? And the CHP badge said "State Traffic Officer" right on it? How recently did it change to just ...... "Officer"?

IIRC, it was about the time the CHP and California State Police merged sometime in the early 1990's.

Posted by: PapaBear

Sorry it took me some time to get back. Yes, our badges used to show the rank of "Traffic Officer" and they now show "Officer." That was all in the change in about 1995 shortly after the merger of the State Police unit into the Highway Patrol in 1994. Prior to the merger, there were a lot of shared duties with respect to LEO powers in the CA Government.

The CHP now has all security for the CA Legislature, Governor, Lt. Governor, the CA Supreme Court, all state facilities. They share duties with allied agencies at ports of entry for shipping and rail. Lead the Auto Theft Taskforce are a part of the career criminal task force, smuggling task force, supplement local law enforcement in rural counties and patrol all Interstate, U.S., State and unincorporated highways and roadways statewide.

They have the investigative responsibility for all crimes on those patrol beats; but, as a matter of courtesy and for investigative integrity and reporting purposes, defer those investigations to the local law enforcement jurisdiction under a cooperatvie pact that was created many decades ago.

The agency has motorcycle, automobile, fixed winig, rotorwing and waterway patrol vehicles. They have an investigative services unit, executive protection unit, SWAT/IRT unit, M.A.I.T. unit and other specialized units that deal with commercial vehicles and shipping.

Field operations are divided into eight separate field Divisions located throughout the state. Also included in field operations are Office of Air Operations , State Terrorism Threat Assessment Center, and Protective Services Division.

Finally, to clarify some questions, the CHP is charged with the enforcement of "all roads and all codes" statewide with their primary focus on traffic.

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