CHP Now Hiring!!! Get in while you can!!!

[CHP Wanna-Be]

The CHP is finally hiring!!!

Those interested in applying can go to www.chp.ca.gov/recruiting fpr details on the the Cadet and Officer positions.

You may also send an e-mail to recruiting@chp.ca.gov to request an application by mail, or check out the listing of area offices (http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/officecc.html) where you can pick one up.

Good luck and stay safe!!!

[BaseballBabe]

Sent in my information.

Thanks for the links.

Jen

[retired]

So neither of you want to be a real peace officer? ;) ;)

[CHP Wanna-Be]

No, I just feel that the CHP is a better fit for me. I've never had any diiference in respect between troopers and local PD. IMO you are all Peace Officers on the same level. No one is better or worse. You just serve different purposes. I'm not sure about other states, but in CA troopers are commissioned by the exact same board that commissions "real peace officers" and have to learn all the same things. I'm not really sure what the big deal is with local PD always talking down to troopers or people who want to be troopers. The main focus should be on serving society, not belittling each other. You should all be part of the same team.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I've just never understood the animosty between the two.

[retired]

No, I just feel that the CHP is a better fit for me. I've never had any diiference in respect between troopers and local PD. IMO you are all Peace Officers on the same level. No one is better or worse. You just serve different purposes. I'm not sure about other states, but in CA troopers are commissioned by the exact same board that commissions "real peace officers" and have to learn all the same things. I'm not really sure what the big deal is with local PD always talking down to troopers or people who want to be troopers. The main focus should be on serving society, not belittling each other. You should all be part of the same team.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I've just never understood the animosty between the two.

I understand where you are coming from. But in the real world, the CHP is not a full sevice LE agency. They handle traffic citations and accident invesitagtions,which they do they do very well. However, having spent 31 years of LE in California, they are not, repeat, not a a full service LE agency, no matter what they tell you.

Having said that, if you are content with enforcing traffic, and nothing more, than CHP will suit you fine.

[CHP Wanna-Be]

Ok, even so, why do some Local PD officers feel they have the right to talk down to state officers? I hear it in my AJ classes all the time because this is who they are taught by. "Why would you ever want to be in the CHP?" And if I hear the term "Triple A with a badge" one more time, I think I'll explode. I just feel there should be more respect between agencies. I'm realistic as I know this won't happen, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I like the idea of helping people who have been unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, and getting drunk drivers off the roadways. I know all cops get crap, but I think it just sucks to have to get it from other cops.

[Welpe]

A small tip, the CHP has officers, not troopers. Better me than a CHP Officer correcting you. ;)

[lsmalibu]

Ok, even so, why do some Local PD officers feel they have the right to talk down to state officers? I hear it in my AJ classes all the time because this is who they are taught by. "Why would you ever want to be in the CHP?" And if I hear the term "Triple A with a badge" one more time, I think I'll explode. I just feel there should be more respect between agencies. I'm realistic as I know this won't happen, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I like the idea of helping people who have been unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, and getting drunk drivers off the roadways. I know all cops get crap, but I think it just sucks to have to get it from other cops.

A lot of local cops have issues with Chippies because locals get looked down upon by Chippies instead of the other way around. A lot of CHP officers have an attitude about having "the tougest academy," the "best training," whatever and think because they're part of such a large agency means they're somehow badasses.

Some local cops don't like CHP officers because the particular CHP officers they've dealt with aren't well versed in regular policework. You know the old joke, CHP stands for Can't Handle Policework.

Some local cops don't like Chippies because the locals desperately wanted to be Chippies and either couldn't get hired or couldn't hack it at the CHP Academy.

I've got 3 good friends who are CHP officers, they are great people and LEO's and I'd love to have them as my code 3 fill. I've visited the CHP Academy a few times, was amazed by the facilities and met some pretty squared away cadets. I'd never want to be CHP, but I'd sure take it over being a civilian.

[Photogrrlz]

[QUOTE=CHP Wanna-Be]"Triple A with a badge" QUOTE]


Ooooo I never heard that one before I am going to have to use it...hehehehe..

As for the battle between state and local, many local agencies have lil battles against each other....

But hey if you need more examples....Supertroopers :D

Anywho....What ever happened to the Real Stories of The Highway Patrol??

[retired]

A lot of local cops have issues with Chippies because locals get looked down upon by Chippies instead of the other way around.

Some local cops don't like Chippies because the locals desperately wanted to be Chippies and either couldn't get hired or couldn't hack it at the CHP Academy.
.

In all my years in LE, I never, but never knew any local cop who thought CHP looked down on them. Contrary to what you said, it has always been the other way around.

I also never knew a local cop who wanted to be a CHiPpie but couldn't get hired, or couldn't hack it at the CHP academy.

Where did you come up with that ? :confused: :rolleyes:

[lsmalibu]

In all my years in LE, I never, but never knew any local cop who thought CHP looked down on them. Contrary to what you said, it has always been the other way around.

I also never knew a local cop who wanted to be a CHiPpie but couldn't get hired, or couldn't hack it at the CHP academy.

Where did you come up with that ? :confused: :rolleyes:

Just letting you know what I've heard from officers I know. I've never had any personal contacts with a CHP officer, perhaps I should have prefaced my post with that.

[CHP Wanna-Be]

Believe me, I know they're called Officers. It just seems that everywhere else they're called troopers and I thought that might be a more "forum friendly" term. Also, I've been scolded before by a local police officer for calling them officers because they're "not real cops". I wasn't looking for a repeat here. It was merely used to differentiate between the two.

[Surfin_Cop]

Does anyone know if PA is reciprocal with CA. Just curious. Would love to move to Cali for the surf and job.

[lsmalibu]

Does anyone know if PA is reciprocal with CA. Just curious. Would love to move to Cali for the surf and job.

No, CA doesn't offer reciprocity with any state. There is a Basic Course Waiver process if you've had 660+ hours of general law enforcement training and 1 year of employment as a LEO. If you're approved for the BCW, you're issued a letter waiving you from the Basic Academy, but it's up to individual agencies as to whether or not they'll accept it.

I beleive the CHP won't.

[Surfin_Cop]

No, CA doesn't offer reciprocity with any state. There is a Basic Course Waiver process if you've had 660+ hours of general law enforcement training and 1 year of employment as a LEO. If you're approved for the BCW, you're issued a letter waiving you from the Basic Academy, but it's up to individual agencies as to whether or not they'll accept it.

I beleive the CHP won't.

Thanks for the info.

[Welpe]

I beleive the CHP won't.

The CHP won't even accept in-state laterals. Anybody who wants to be a CHP officer has to go through their academy.

[CHP Wanna-Be]

The CHP won't even accept in-state laterals. Anybody who wants to be a CHP officer has to go through their academy.

He's absolutely right. There is no such thing as a lateral into the CHP. I like almost everything about the CHP, and even I feel this is dumb, and probably deters some good candidates who don't want to go back through another 6 month academy.

[Stan Switek]

Believe me, I know they're called Officers. It just seems that everywhere else they're called troopers and I thought that might be a more "forum friendly" term. Also, I've been scolded before by a local police officer for calling them officers because they're "not real cops". I wasn't looking for a repeat here. It was merely used to differentiate between the two.

CHP officers are called "State Traffic Officers." My father is retired CHP. On his advice, I did not follow him on to the CHP. I'm glad I didnt. The idea of chasing speeders, DUI's, taking TC's & dodging trucks on the freeway for 30 years just isn't my idea of a good time. I respect the job they do but their career options are very limited.

[CHP Wanna-Be]

CHP officers are called "State Traffic Officers." My father is retired CHP. On his advice, I did not follow him on to the CHP. I'm glad I didnt. The idea of chasing speeders, DUI's, taking TC's & dodging trucks on the freeway for 30 years just isn't my idea of a good time. I respect the job they do but their career options are very limited.

Not to be picky, but I believe that the title has changed. The badges and applications now say "Officer". This is probably due to the fact that the CHP also performs the duties that the California State Police used to be responsible for.

[retired]

CHP also performs the duties that the California State Police used to be responsible for.

Now there was another non-full service law enforcement agency. They used to spend most of their time acting as security guards at state buildings. Admitedly they also provided excutive protection, but they weren't anymore of a full service LE agency than CHP is.

With that said, I'll repeat myself. The CHP is probably one of the best TRAFFIC enforcement agencies in the US. ;)

[retired]

Not to be picky, but I believe that the title has changed. The badges and applications now say "Officer". This is probably due to the fact that the CHP also performs the duties that the California State Police used to be responsible for.


CVC 625. A "traffic officer" is any member of the California Highway Patrol, or any peace officer who is on duty for the exclusive or main purpose of enforcing Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000) or 11 (commencing with Section 21000).

[Stan Switek]

Not to be picky, but I believe that the title has changed. The badges and applications now say "Officer". This is probably due to the fact that the CHP also performs the duties that the California State Police used to be responsible for.

The are state traffic officers. Not even a cop yet & you know it all. Typical wannabe. Listen more, talk less. You just might learn something.

[CHP Wanna-Be]

I'll admit I am a wannabe. I stand corrected. I can admit that, but apparently the department needs to re-educate some of its Officers, because the "Officer" comment came straight from an Officer I was in contact with. Sorry for causing such a big fuss. The last thing I want to do is generate a negative image (like D Dog and his 3 degrees on another thread). I just figured if anyone knew, it would be someone actually on the force. Apparently that's not always the case.

[Stan Switek]

To be fair, it was recently changed to officer per a CHP friend of mine. Please accept my apology.

[Welpe]

OK can we all hug now and sing campfire songs? :)

[Welpe]

Aww some one gave me negative rep over this? Pitiful. At least have the balls to sign your name to negative rep. :rolleyes:

[CHP Wanna-Be]

To be fair, it was recently changed to officer per a CHP friend of mine. Please accept my apology.

No apology needed. I'm just happy I'm not crazy.

Aww some one gave me negative rep over this? Pitiful. At least have the balls to sign your name to negative rep.

Agreed. And what did you even say worth negative rep? Now I'll probably get some as well.

[retired]

No apology needed. I'm just happy I'm not crazy.



Agreed. And what did you even say worth negative rep? Now I'll probably get some as well.

CVC 625 hasn't changed, but what difference does it make if they are called officer or traffic officer? ;) :eek:

[Stan Switek]

It makes no difference in the grand scheme. I think we were just trying to be correct in what the official job title is.

[retired]

It makes no difference in the grand scheme. I think we were just trying to be correct in what the official job title is.

I agree that it makes no difference, but CVC 625 tells me what their official job title is. :) :cool:

[code3_K9]

[QUOTE=CHP Wanna-Be]"Triple A with a badge" QUOTE]

Anywho....What ever happened to the Real Stories of The Highway Patrol??



People realized it wasnt real police, so they quit watching...

You know what CHP stands for...

Cant Handle Policework

[Welpe]

/me idly scratches the dirt with his toe

I....uh....never wanted to be CHP anyways. *looks around*

Man rough crowd. ;)

[CHPMarine]

ok I'll probably be attacked now and called all the names. I am a CHP officer and must set the record straight. Everything depends on the area of the state you are in. We have a great relationship with the local law enforcement in our area. We back them up at all sorts of calls and they do the same for us.
It sounds like there is alot of bitterness here toward the CHP. Our duties have changed tremendously even within the past 5 years. It is Officer now, not traffic officer. Sure we have the primary focus of traffic, but every department has to have an area of jurisdiction and responsibility. Depending on the area you are in, the CHP may be full service. I know a few areas in which the CHP responds to domestics and loud parties as you local cops do.
call me AAA with a badge, but i am proud to be the one to help out an old woman who is broken down on the side of the road, even in the middle of the city. I dont drive by and look the other way simply because it may not be my area.
If you want to say we cant handle police work because we dont handle murders, domestics, or robberies at people's homes or businesses.... think again. what about auto theft, vehicular manslaughter, and domestics dont stay in the home, it happens on our highways also! Street racing, assault with a deadly weapon (vehicle), everything that you do as a police officer in the city, we do something equivalent to that on the highway, plus all state buildings and property!
A regular local cop doesnt handle murders or any of those big cases anyways, detectives in their department do.
As a regular officer on the CHP, you handle investigations yourself
The best cops find things on their own, through investigation. It is easy to hook someone for a theft or something when the store is already holdng them for you. TRAFFIC stops yield the best stuff! When i was on graveyards months ago, we often would only see CHP officers in the jail. every night, there would be at least 2 or 3 CHP units at the jail at any given time. this didnt stop during the week, it was every night!

I have nothing against local cops, but it is local cops who always seem to have something against us. We all do the same thing and receive the same training, it just depends on where we do it.
How do you measure a real cop? is it danger? because our department has the most officers killed in the line of duty out of any department in the nation! and we have only been around since 1929.
is it arrests? I know in my area, we generate most of the activity.
You cant say the CHP are not real cops anymore. Maybe years ago, but not anymore. Things have changed especially since 9/11. A retired officer living in another state wouldn't know about that.

CHP-wanna-be,
good luck with your career, you made the right choice and will have a great time.

[BaseballBabe]

Thank you CHPMarine for that.

I also have sent in my application for CHP.

[nobody33]

I don't get why people always have to harp on the CHP because they don't do "real" police work. It's a highway patrol, the primary job is traffic, hence the name. How many highway patrols act like city departments? Even at that, the CHP is more like a full service agency than any other HP out there.

Harping on the CHP because they dont routinely handle in home domestics, and like "city" cop crimes and saying CHP is less of an agency because of it, is like saying the FBI is less of an agency because it doesnt take 911 calls. It's apples and oranges. And the old California State Police was a protection agency, basically the state version of the US Secret Service Uniformed Division. They certinally wern't running around from shooting to shooting, but I think they were a little higher on the totem pole than security guards.

[retired]

[QUOTE= A retired officer living in another state wouldn't know about that.

.[/QUOTE]

You with your two years experience in the CHP wouldn't have the slightest idea what a retired police officer in another state would know. Do you think that I no longer talk with my old buddies on the department? Do you think I live in a vacuum? So tell everyone here how much police work you do in Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County, I'm really interested. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Delta784]

How do you measure a real cop? is it danger? because our department has the most officers killed in the line of duty out of any department in the nation!

Ummmm....no. The CHP has had 198 LOD deaths.

New York City Police Department - 617

Chicago Police Department - 447

Philadelphia Police Department - 236

Detroit Police Department - 221

I stopped looking after those four.

[CHPMarine]

Oh sorry I forgot to mention that the 2 years experience were as an officer only... I am second generation CHP and know alot more about the department than you would expect. As for working around LA. I actually am in the next county over, so things between LAPD, LASO, and CHP might be different than what it is where I'm at.
Our department has changed alot as a whole over the past years.
Sorry I overstepped my bounds as a "rookie" with only 2 years on. Your opinion of the CHP may not change because you are retired and set in your ways. I respect those who have come before me, but will not stand around and take crap, or be made to feel as though i am any less of an officer because of the department i work for or how long i have on the job. we all do the same job, CHP, LAPD, LASO, any other department, I see a badge, and that is all that matters when **** hits the fan. I'm there for them as they are there for me.


as for line of duty deaths, I had seen statistics a few months ago which showed no departments having death tolls that high. CHP has 202 now i believe. I apologize for misinformation. but 202 since 1929 is still alot. 202 too many. I was also trying to make a point because i supposedly have to justify why CHP officers are just as much police officers as local law enforcement.

[retired]

ok
A regular local cop doesnt handle murders or any of those big cases anyways, detectives in their department do.
As a regular officer on the CHP, you handle investigations yourself

.

So how many 187's do you handle, and investigate, or if you should encounter a murder, do you not call the local agency to handle it? How often do you handle or respond to part one and part two crimes? In local agencies the patrol officer is almost always the first officer on the scene of a 187, and every other part one and part two crimes. So tell me again how the patrol officer doesn't handle or investigate murders, or other crimes? There isn't an area in Los Angeles County that depends on the CHP to investigate or respond to criminal activity. Your comment about how easy it is to hook up a theft suspect that some store is holding for you demonstrates your complete and total ignorance of what a full service LE agency does. :rolleyes:

Come to think of it, why am I even bothering with this discussion with a two year CHP'IE? :rolleyes:

But I'll say it one more time. A far as I'm concerned the CHP is the best traffic enforcement, and traffic accident agency I know of, bar none. :)

[CHPMarine]

Delta,
I am interested to know the source of the LODD info, I would like to be more informed... thanks

[retired]

[QUOTE=CHPMarine] I respect those who have come before me, but will not stand around and take crap, or be made to feel as though i am any less of an officer because of the department i work for or how long i have on the job. we all do the same job, CHP, LAPD, LASO, any other department,
QUOTE]

No one is trying to give you any crap! But for you to say that your functions and responsibilites as a CHP officer are the same as a municpal PD officer or SD deputy is simply not true. You don't provide patrol or investigative services to any cities or unincorporated areas in LA or Orange County. They have their own.

No one is putting you down for this, but you seem to have a "chip" :p on your shoulder, and this after only two years on the job. As I have said in other threads, the CHP does an outstanding job with trafic enforcement, and traffic accidents. You guys are the best.

[Delta784]

as for line of duty deaths, I had seen statistics a few months ago which showed no departments having death tolls that high. CHP has 202 now i believe. I apologize for misinformation. but 202 since 1929 is still alot. 202 too many. I was also trying to make a point because i supposedly have to justify why CHP officers are just as much police officers as local law enforcement.

I agree that 202 brother officers being killed LOD is way too much. I grieve for each of them.

However, did you honestly think that the CHP had more LOD deaths than the New York City Police Department? :confused:

If you don't believe me, check out this link (http://www.odmp.org/search.php) and search for yourself.

[CHPMarine]

I admit, I do not respond to 187's. we do 245's, 191's, and 192's. I am not saying at all that we are better or worse than local cops. we have a different area of jurisdiction. but please tell me why traffic related enforcement is not real policework. who determines what "real" policework is anyways? I agree that in Los Angeles, the CHP is striclty traffic. as a matter of fact, the Central LA CHP only covers freeways. it is the only CHP area in the state that is not responsible for any surface streets. I appreciate the comment about the CHP being the best traffic enforcement agency.
There are certain areas in the state now that CHP presence within communities is growing, to include responses to residences for local law enforcement purposes.
The comment i made about hooking someone for a theft who is already being held at the store, that is just an observation from my own area.
I'm sure in your many years of experience, you've gotten alot of activity stemming from traffic stops. Am I wrong? I don't doubt that you were a great cop and have seen alot.
Look down on me if you want because of how much time i have on, it really doesnt matter. there is no "chip" on my shoulder. I am proud of what we do.
I am just trying to convey the fact that times are changing.

[CHPMarine]

no delta, it wasnt because i didnt believe you, i had seen a list like that one, but it was obviously inaccurate. I just wanted to check it out, i didnt know where to find it online.

[retired]

I admit, I do not respond to 187's. we do 245's, 191's, and 192's. I am not saying at all that we are better or worse than local cops. we have a different area of jurisdiction. but please tell me why traffic related enforcement is not real policework. who determines what "real" policework is anyways? I agree that in Los Angeles, the CHP is striclty traffic. as a matter of fact, the Central LA CHP only covers freeways. it is the only CHP area in the state that is not responsible for any surface streets. I appreciate the comment about the CHP being the best traffic enforcement agency.
There are certain areas in the state now that CHP presence within communities is growing, to include responses to residences for local law enforcement purposes.
The comment i made about hooking someone for a theft who is already being held at the store, that is just an observation from my own area.
I'm sure in your many years of experience, you've gotten alot of activity stemming from traffic stops. Am I wrong? I don't doubt that you were a great cop and have seen alot.
Look down on me if you want because of how much time i have on, it really doesnt matter. there is no "chip" on my shoulder. I am proud of what we do.
I am just trying to convey the fact that times are changing.


Just to make it clear, I am not putting you down for being a CHP. I only take issue when you and any other CHP tell me that you perform the same functions as LASD, or LAPD, etc. Certainly I would assume you probably respond periodically to a 245, or a traffic manslaughter on the freeway, however if you do, I bet that the local agency handles the follow-up. I know we did in the Los Angeles area. It was standard practice for the CHP to turn the arrest over to us for further investigation. But for the most part anywhere in California, all of the municipal P.D.' and SD's handle their own part one and part two crime, it isn't the respnsibility of the CHP. I'm sure that in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, etc the public calls those agencies when they have a problem.

Again, that doesn't mean you don't do a superb job with traffic enforcement and acident investigation, you do! You are the best! :) However, you could spend thirty years with CHP and never get the same exposure or experience to crime as a local LEO. Now that isn't intended as a put down, it's just reality from a retired guy who as you said, lives out of state, but spends a couple of months in sunny California during the winter. :p

So in my opinion, this subject has been beat to death, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your career with the AAA. :D :D :D Okay, not a good joke :o, but still all the best luck and success in the world. :)

[CHPMarine]

<<Certainly I would assume you probably respond periodically to a 245, or a traffic manslaughter on the freeway, however if you do, I bet that the local agency handles the follow-up. I know we did in the Los Angeles area. It was standard practice for the CHP to turn the arrest over to us for further investigation.>>

maybe in Los Angeles. Not in my area. We do our own follow up. Local PD's have enough to do already without having to "clean our fish." Sure a suicide or something on the freeway, the SO or PD gets that. It is a matter of jurisdiction.
I appreciate the nice comments. Just trying to convey that we dont give up everything anymore. There are those of us that are newer and have received more training in the academy to be better equipped to handle more than traffic and refuse to stick with only traffic if we dont have to. I like to broaden my scope of abilities. As a CHP officer i have just as much arrest authority as local PD. around here, the locals love us when we help out. But they also dont have the manpower that LAPD or LASO has.
But like you said, we are beating a dead horse here. no matter how much we say, our opinions won't change. Like i said, you have my respect, I'm sure you've seen and done alot. AAA or not, I just know that if i was broken down on the side of the road at night in a bad area, i would want an officer to help me out. I have no problem with that.
with that being said, this topic can be laid to rest.

[darkclad]

Boy....i sure did love CHiPs as a kid...is that what we are talking about??? i've gotten lost with all this almost bickering back and forth....I think as high as the CHP as any other law enforcement agency...they put their life on the line for YOU.....doesn't matter what their roll is....Thank god there's those who love doing all that traffic stuff.....makes the other agencies life a little bit easier....Be safe out there.... :) :)

[Duke]

I think a lot of guys have a bad opinion of the CHP because the common perception is that their role is quite limited. I have dealt with CHP officers on numerous occasions where they were not allowed to become involved in, or investigate certain crimes, which we were then tasked with handling.

One particular incident that comes to mind is when the local CHP office called us because some people living in an adjoining apartment complex had hurled rocks at their cruisers, smashing the windshields. Upon arrival, I met ten CHP officers and a CHP sergeant who asked me what I was going to do. I' d be a liar if I didn't say my first thought was: you're a cop, go take care of it yourself. I didn't mind doing it, as I understood the chippies were limited by their policy (as we are by ours). Nonetheless, I think these incidents are the kind that give ammo to those who label the chippies as AAA with a badge.

I wouldn't have ever worked for them due to the limited opportunity for a variety of assignments, as well as for pay issues, but I find their officers to be generally very competent. They perform a necessary service under difficult and demanding circumstances (as we all do). I myself am glad to have the CHP because I sure as hell don't want to handle wrecks on our roads, much less those occurring on the freeways in our city! So everyone should get off their high horse and let the guys do their jobs...

I do have one suggestion for the CHP....new uniforms? The old ones are heinous!!! :D

[Delta784]

I think a lot of guys have a bad opinion of the CHP because the common perception is that their role is quite limited. I have dealt with CHP officers on numerous occasions where they were not allowed to become involved in, or investigate certain crimes, which we were then tasked with handling.

No way!!

What about all the times that Ponch & Jon bailed-out the LAPD on those roller-disco investigations???? :p

[CHPMarine]

sorry you had to deal with that BS Duke. while i dont agree with some of our policies, it makes some sense. they are so worried about a conflict of interest arising through investigaton by our own dept. a while back, we had an officer's cell phone stolen, in the office! it is thought that it was a contractor, but we had to call the local PD to take the report to make sure it was done fairly. I understand why they would. It is like when the PD is involved in a TC, we will usually handle it instead of them doing it themselves. Things are getting better though within our department. Alot of the older generation of highway patrolmen are moving on making way for the new generation which is into more than just traffic. we are afforded the opportunity to take on more than in the past, and to get involved in some good investigations.
My attitude is the more i learn the better. If i can handle something without having to get the PD involved, all the better, it keeps them available for their own capers.

[Welpe]

Duke, what's wrong with the tans? I think they look rather slick. :D

[CHPMarine]

it is very unique. I like them but then i dont. It is much better than wearing dark blue in the sun, but the wool in the uniform kind of defeats the purpose. plus the wool, as soon as it gets wet, you might as well have a wet dog on your lap.

[Welpe]

They are wool?? Wow, I did not know that one. I always assumed they were cotton/polyester or all cotton.

[CHPMarine]

well, we are starting to get more blended shirts and pants, meaning not all wool. the wool is a little uncomfortable and it smells like dogs when wet. thats why we wear jeans or sweatpants under our rain gear. Wool does look pretty good though, and it holds creases better.

[CHP Wanna-Be]

I've been gone for a while but wow, I never expected this thread to go this far...I feel like I poured salt on an open wound...

[Lucky Seven]

Wow, this thread seems a little heated...so here's my $000.02.

While the CHP's primary function was and is traffic, over the years things have changed. This is in part due to local budget problems, joint task force problem solving, joint agency operations for problem solving (gang / criminal activity), and to some degree 9/11.

The CHP has been or is invovled in ATF task forces, FBI task forces, and DOJ task forces which are involved in various criminal investigations. When the CHP took over state police functions some areas inherited all criminal investigative responsibility, including homicides, on state property. The CHP is not just traffic anymore. The department has many investigators involved in non-traffic functions. The department has been involved in local problem solving due to extreme criminal / gang activity that had exceeded the ability of local jurisdiction's resources. (Redwood City and Fresno are examples). The department is also involved in dignitary protection and court/judge security. The CHP air operations is constantly involved in criminal search missions, search and rescue missions, surveillance missions, and medical evacuations. There is just no comparision to the mission/responsibility of the CHP today vs twenty years ago. A strong argument could have been made twenty plus years ago for the validity of "AAA with a gun". The argument even then was flawed though. No, the CHP didn't investigate homicides but it did make arrests for them and other criminal activity primarily from traffic stops. I don't see that argument being valid at this time.

In a lot of rural areas where the local jurisdiction has budget constraints which lead to minimal staffing, CHP officers are responding as back-up on local jurisdiction calls. They also respond in place of the local jurisdiction until they can get there. On some occaisions due to call volume and limited resources the CHP will handle the call (ie domestic violence, disturbung peace).

Regarding the error by CHPMarine. If a department has lost one or one hundred officers. It is too many.

The personalities involved in LE are somewhat competitive. I always took the joking about different departments as good natured. Since we are all on one big team, so to speak, I don't think negative attitudes about what a department does or doesn't do is beneficial to the end goal of LE. If I needed a back-up I wouldn't care what the responding sworn officer's department was.

"Can't we all just get along." :p

The above is based on 26 years of opinion. ;)

[Wyatt Earp]

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I've just never understood the animosty between the two.



Once you're in law enforcement, you will.

I have read the posts on this topic since joining this web-site and have kept my opinions to myself until now.

I have a unique perspective on this ongoing good-natured battle between the CHP and local agencies, since I worked for the CHP from 1990-1994 and the VCSD from 1994-2003. I retired due to an on-duty injury. I have seen both sides. I have graduated from both academies. I have worked patrol in both agencies. Of course everyone wants to believe they're the best. Although it is all law enforcement, the functions are vastly different both in their legal definitions and in function.

The authority of a CHP officer comes from section 830.2 of the Ca. Penal Code. It states:
"The following persons are peace officers whose authority
extends to any place in the state:
(a) Any member of the Department of the California Highway Patrol
including those members designated under subdivision (a) of Section
2250.1 of the Vehicle Code, provided that the primary duty of the
peace officer is the enforcement of any law relating to the use or
operation of vehicles upon the highways, or laws pertaining to the
provision of police services for the protection of state officers,
state properties, and the occupants of state properties, or both, as
set forth in the Vehicle Code and Government Code."

This section changed slightly since the CHP absorbed the Ca. State Police, and naturally the CHP's function became broader. The Ca. State Police was an agency that was essentially charged with the protection of state property and buildings.

The Ca. Vehicle Code further defines CHP officers under section 625. It states: "A "traffic officer" is any member of the California Highway Patrol, or any peace officer who is on duty for the exclusive or main
purpose of enforcing Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000) or
11 (commencing with Section 21000)."

The CHP are the best at what they do, but they don't have nearly the amount responsibility of the local agencies, especially a sheriff's department.

The CHP's main function as written into the Ca. Penal Code and Vehicle Code is traffic. They can perform any kind of law enforcement function as long as traffic is the agencies main function. Their jurisdiction is any freeway and all highways (roads) in the unincorporated areas of a county.

"The authority of a deputy sheriff or police officer comes from section 830.1 of the Ca. Penal Code. It states:
(a) Any sheriff, undersheriff, or deputy sheriff, employed
in that capacity, of a county, any chief of police of a city or
chief, director, or chief executive officer of a consolidated
municipal public safety agency that performs police functions, any
police officer, employed in that capacity and appointed by the chief
of police or chief, director, or chief executive of a public safety
agency, of a city, any chief of police, or police officer of a
district, including police officers of the San Diego Unified Port
District Harbor Police, authorized by statute to maintain a police
department, any marshal or deputy marshal of a superior court or
county, any port warden or port police officer of the Harbor
Department of the City of Los Angeles, or any inspector or
investigator employed in that capacity in the office of a district
attorney, is a peace officer. The authority of these peace officers
extends to any place in the state, as follows:
(1) As to any public offense committed or which there is probable
cause to believe has been committed within the political subdivision
that employs the peace officer or in which the peace officer serves."

While the CHP's main function is traffic, a sheriff's department's main responsibility is keeping the peace and investigating crime in any unincorporated area of a county, maintaining the jails, care and transportation of inmates, providing bailiffs and security for the superior and municipal courts and providing police services to any city that contracts with the sheriff. Under contract, these functions include, but are not limited to patrol, detectives, TRAFFIC, crime lab, academy, evidence technicians, evidence storage, gang enforcement, COPPS, air unit, K-9, DARE, SWAT, bicycle patrol, harbor patrol, etc.

The CHP uses the sheriff's jail to book their arrestees and the sheriff's crime lab to process their blood and/or urine. They use the sheriff's intox. machines maintained by the sheriff's crime lab to obtain their breath analysis for DUI's. The sheriff has traffic jurisdiction in any city under the contract. In a city that has it's own police department, such as LAPD, the LAPD has the jurisdiction over all traffic matters within it's border.

In the area I worked, we had a good relationship with the CHP. Unfortunately, CHP officers don't get the respect from other peace officers that they think they deserve. I have been on both sides of this issue. I, personally, believe it comes down to attitude. When I was at the CHP academy in 1990, it was constantly drilled into us that the CHP is the best. The academy instructors would constantly tell us that local agencies aren't of the same caliber as we were and I think that attitude carries over to many (not all) after graduation from the academy. That superior attitude, coupled with some experiences of local cops getting ticketed by a CHP officer, sours them on the CHP. (I too have been ticketed by the CHP).

I can see the pros and cons of either side. I have seen the good and bad of both agencies. The bottom line is that you need to decide what's best for you. Although I'm gald I had the experience being a CHP officer (State Traffic Officer then), I was able to do much more as a deputy sheriff and therefore enjoyed my career more.

That's my two cents, bring on the criticism!

[retired]

Wyatt Earp, you won't get any criticism from me. :) I agree with most of what you said. I think the CHP is the best in the state for traffic enforcement and traffic accident investigation. Some members of the CHP won't acknowledge that traffic is their primary function. Nothing wrong with working primarily traffic.

My experience with CHP is Los Angeles and Orange County area where all of the cities that don't contract with the Sheriff have their own police departments, and the unincorporated area is handled by the Sheriff. In those two counties any criminal activity the CHP gets involved in is minimal at the best compared to the full service LE agencies. :)

[SeVere]

I was in California and I had two CHP officers look at me like I had a third eye when I identified myself and asked about patch trading. They WALKED away from me and did not speak to me.

One guy was very very friendly and turned out to be a great guy.

I talked to a Deputy that I knew and told him about the experience and the Deputy KNEW which CHP officer I had talked to because he said this that guy was the only friendly guy. He asked me, "was his name so and so?" I said yes. We had a good laugh.

I found that to be incredible.

Every Local California cop I have met(total 5) does not speak highly of CHP. One called them Misdemeanor Cops, one said Can't Handle Police Work, one called them Police Writers, and another stated that they have a superiority complex. I know five is not a lot of officers, but I found it interesting that all the California Cops I have met feel this way.

I am not sure where the problem lies, is it local or CHP.

All I know, is that I love the show CHiPs and the two I tried to meet were NOT friendly and gave me a bad impression of the Agency. The saving grace was the one Officer.

[pkagel]

Sorry for you having such a bad experience. Every CHP officer I have personally met has been very nice. One that I luckily didn't meet was an AH and gave one of our deputies a ticket for 75 in a 65 in his unmarked cruiser while the officer was on duty. He promptly had his name and badge number posted at the jail and every CHP officer who came in after that said "It wasn't me!!!" Your going to have jerks in any profession though.

[PTI]

Every Local California cop I have met(total 5) does not speak highly of CHP. One called them Misdemeanor Cops, one said Can't Handle Police Work, one called them Police Writers, and another stated that they have a superiority complex.
You forgot to mention my personal favorite: Coffee Has Priority :D

[SeVere]

Sorry for you having such a bad experience. Every CHP officer I have personally met has been very nice. One that I luckily didn't meet was an AH and gave one of our deputies a ticket for 75 in a 65 in his unmarked cruiser while the officer was on duty. He promptly had his name and badge number posted at the jail and every CHP officer who came in after that said "It wasn't me!!!" Your going to have jerks in any profession though.


The sad part about this was that he ALLOWED himself to be ticketed by CHP while On Duty Driving a Company Vehicle. We had one of our guys pulled over by one of our own while driving an Unmarked with Municipal Plates. The AH had the audacity to ask if the P.O. was attempting to stop a violator.

The Traffic Unit then proceeded to ask for the P.O.'s DL. The P.O. being pulled over just drove away from him.

On duty I am the boss just as much as you and if you are not my supervisor step off!

[CHPMarine]

all i can say is i'm sorry for the bad ones... we arent all like that. there are alot of officers who dont want anything to do with locals and only want to write tickets all day.
i back up the locals on stops and they do the same for me. i hang out at the PD quite a bit and know alot of them. I personally do not like writing tickets, i go out everyday with the sole purpose of looking for someone to take to jail, whether it be for a traffic related offense or otherwise.

"wyatt earp" knows of a place called Ojai.... a chp officer there has to rely on the local deputies for backup quite often. plus, Ojai PD is the only good place to use the restroom. I go to their calls to back them, and they go to mine...
VCSD is great here... well, west county anyways...

[Kevin]

I have a brother that is a trooper in a rural state, and his angency is a full service agency. I respect the job off ALL law enforcement, and all cops have dangerous jobs. Anyone can be killed at any time.

However, you can not argue that a trooper or a city local have the same job. It is night and day. I worked in one of the most violent areas in Baltimore, and there is no way anyone can convince me that my job was the same as a Maryland Trooper. Yes we all investigate all sort of crimes, but the city cops responded to shootings and armed persons on a DAILY basis and confronted armed people DAILY. You gain far more experience working in a violent inner city neighborhood. Does it make any one officer better? No, but it does make some officers more experienced in real life, practical issues not taught in the academy. Its no one's fault, just the nature of the area you work in. Some choose to work in rural areas, some dont.

With that said, I would argue more city cops have more experience in high risk, violent situations then the average trooper.

We are all cops, and need to stick together, but it use to irritate me when *some* troopers thought they were better, simply because they were troopers, had "better training", nicer uniforms, etc. looked down upon the grunt city cop who's shoe's weren't shine (probably because he just walked out of needle infested house or alley. I do believe the average city cop with 4 yrs on the job has more street experience than a 12 yr trooper who mainly deals with traffic, etc on the highway.

A lot of city guys would get upset, because we were looked down upon by state troopers when the reality was/is, we had more experience so they had nothing to base their ego's on. I think this is where the bad rep between city and state comes from.

We all have a job to do, and are on the same team. Some just have different types of jobs in vastly different areas. Its almost like comparing a Marine infantryman to and airforce guy. Same team, fighting for the same thing, but who do you want next to you in combat?

Just my 2 cents...

[PTI]

However, you can not argue that a trooper or a city local have the same job. It is night and day. You gain far more experience working in a violent inner city neighborhood. Does it make any one officer better? No, but it does make some officers more experienced in real life, practical issues not taught in the academy. Its no one's fault, just the nature of the area you work in. Some choose to work in rural areas, some dont.
With that said, I would argue more city cops have more experience in high risk, violent situations then the average trooper.

I do believe the average city cop with 4 yrs on the job has more street experience than a 12 yr trooper who mainly deals with traffic, etc on the highway.
I agree with the first part of this quote whole heartedly but not the second part. With only 4 years on the job most guys can't find their *** with both hands and an *** map.

[retired]

With only 4 years on the job most guys can't find their *** with both hands and an *** map.

I think you are being generous with four years, I would say more. ;)

[USAcop]

When CHP's criminal interdiction was in its prime I bet they seized more narcotics than the LAPD and LASO combined. And you figure only a small percentage of the officers were getting the seizures.

politics came in and consent searches are outlawed and the seizures went way down.

comments?

[retired]

When CHP's criminal interdiction was in its prime I bet they seized more narcotics than the LAPD and LASO combined.
comments?

Where did you come up with that? :confused:

[USAcop]

Where did you come up with that? :confused:

Most states that have agressive highway patrols seize more narcotics than in any of the major cities.

LA may be a large enough city where it isn't possible.

I would be willing to bet more narcotics are seized on the highways than in all the major cities combined.

doesn't CHP have the record for the largest cash seizure in the state? information from the traffic stop of the officer was the start of this.

remember alot of drug intelligence is started by the highway drug seizures that leads to the arrest of the big players.

[nobody33]

When CHP's criminal interdiction was in its prime I bet they seized more narcotics than the LAPD and LASO combined. And you figure only a small percentage of the officers were getting the seizures.

politics came in and consent searches are outlawed and the seizures went way down.

comments?


I dont know about more that those 2 compbined, but CHP led the nation in narcotics seizures 10 years ago, and your'e right, the ACLU just destroyed that enforcement program. If you include CHP/DOJ joint teams, I wouldnt doubt it would be much much more.

From the CHP website:
The Department became involved in drug interdiction activities in 1988, after realizing the increased potential of departmental personnel stopping and contacting drug traffickers. In 1995, the CHP ranked number one in both heroin and methamphetamine seizures throughout the nation. Additionally, the Department's drug interdiction program resulted in 13,506 pounds of marijuana being removed from the state's highways in 1995 alone

[Wyatt Earp]

all i can say is i'm sorry for the bad ones... we arent all like that. there are alot of officers who dont want anything to do with locals and only want to write tickets all day.
i back up the locals on stops and they do the same for me. i hang out at the PD quite a bit and know alot of them. I personally do not like writing tickets, i go out everyday with the sole purpose of looking for someone to take to jail, whether it be for a traffic related offense or otherwise.

"wyatt earp" knows of a place called Ojai.... a chp officer there has to rely on the local deputies for backup quite often. plus, Ojai PD is the only good place to use the restroom. I go to their calls to back them, and they go to mine...
VCSD is great here... well, west county anyways...


I do know Ojai. I was assigned to the East County though. When I was assigned to Moorpark we had a good relationship with the CHP. At the time, they had a satellite office close by. They were spread pretty thin out here too, so we would assist them occasionally.

[Wyatt Earp]

When CHP's criminal interdiction was in its prime I bet they seized more narcotics than the LAPD and LASO combined. And you figure only a small percentage of the officers were getting the seizures.

politics came in and consent searches are outlawed and the seizures went way down.

comments?

If the LAPD or LASD only conducted traffic stops, their statistics would be high too. The comparison between the CHP and large local agencies is the epitome of the saying "apples and oranges." The CHP has much more time to conduct traffic stops, while local agencies also have calls to answer. If there are any large local agency officers reading the posts, (like "retired") they can attest to the amount of radio calls they handle that leaves them little or no time to conduct traffic stops.

[Wyatt Earp]

I do believe the average city cop with 4 yrs on the job has more street experience than a 12 yr trooper who mainly deals with traffic, etc on the highway.

Its almost like comparing a Marine infantryman to and airforce guy. Same team, fighting for the same thing, but who do you want next to you in combat?


From personal experience I agree with you completely.

[USAcop]

I have a brother that is a trooper in a rural state, and his angency is a full service agency. I respect the job off ALL law enforcement, and all cops have dangerous jobs. Anyone can be killed at any time.

However, you can not argue that a trooper or a city local have the same job. It is night and day. I worked in one of the most violent areas in Baltimore, and there is no way anyone can convince me that my job was the same as a Maryland Trooper. Yes we all investigate all sort of crimes, but the city cops responded to shootings and armed persons on a DAILY basis and confronted armed people DAILY. You gain far more experience working in a violent inner city neighborhood. Does it make any one officer better? No, but it does make some officers more experienced in real life, practical issues not taught in the academy. Its no one's fault, just the nature of the area you work in. Some choose to work in rural areas, some dont.

With that said, I would argue more city cops have more experience in high risk, violent situations then the average trooper.

We are all cops, and need to stick together, but it use to irritate me when *some* troopers thought they were better, simply because they were troopers, had "better training", nicer uniforms, etc. looked down upon the grunt city cop who's shoe's weren't shine (probably because he just walked out of needle infested house or alley. I do believe the average city cop with 4 yrs on the job has more street experience than a 12 yr trooper who mainly deals with traffic, etc on the highway.

A lot of city guys would get upset, because we were looked down upon by state troopers when the reality was/is, we had more experience so they had nothing to base their ego's on. I think this is where the bad rep between city and state comes from.

We all have a job to do, and are on the same team. Some just have different types of jobs in vastly different areas. Its almost like comparing a Marine infantryman to and airforce guy. Same team, fighting for the same thing, but who do you want next to you in combat?

Just my 2 cents...

Its no wonder why so much of the public hates cops. Cops looking down on other cops is pathetic. I don't know why some people think they are real cops and some aren't.

Rural cops handle calls by themelves without back up and think big city cops are wimps because they have so much more back up for the same calls.

Big city cops look down on rural cops becasue they don't get as many high priority calls.

We are all on the same team. Lets act like it. No wonder why the criminals are winning. Its not all in the court rooms its also because of the bitter turf wars.

[Wyatt Earp]

Its no wonder why so much of the public hates cops. Cops looking down on other cops is pathetic. I don't know why some people think they are real cops and some aren't.

Rural cops handle calls by themelves without back up and think big city cops are wimps because they have so much more back up for the same calls.

Big city cops look down on rural cops becasue they don't get as many high priority calls.

We are all on the same team. Lets act like it. No wonder why the criminals are winning. Its not all in the court rooms its also because of the bitter turf wars.


I don't believe we're putting each other down. We're expressing our opinions on the different functions we perform in our respective departments. We're all proud of the work we do and naturally feel our respective department is the best.

If there were a 9/11 type of attack in California, I'm confident we would all put our criticizms asside and conduct ourselves appropriately. How many of you wanted to back a bag and go to NYC to assist?

I have no doubt that we all respect each other and our chosen agencies. I also have no doubt that if there were a situation where we were all responding to an emergency that we would all look out for each other and assist one another regardless of the shape of our badges or the colors of our uniforms.

I retired two years ago and currently work in an industry where I've been privilaged to work side-by-side with officers from many other agencies. When the time comes to put into action our expertise as law enforcement professionals, the differences in function and jurisdiction falls by the wayside.

[PTI]

I don't believe we're putting each other down. We're expressing our opinions on the different functions we perform in our respective departments. We're all proud of the work we do and naturally feel our respective department is the best.

If there were a 9/11 type of attack in California, I'm confident we would all put our criticizms asside and conduct ourselves appropriately. How many of you wanted to back a bag and go to NYC to assist?

I have no doubt that we all respect each other and our chosen agencies. I also have no doubt that if there were a situation where we were all responding to an emergency that we would all look out for each other and assist one another regardless of the shape of our badges or the colors of our uniforms.

I retired two years ago and currently work in an industry where I've been privilaged to work side-by-side with officers from many other agencies. When the time comes to put into action our expertise as law enforcement professionals, the differences in function and jurisdiction falls by the wayside.
Very well put.

[CHPMarine]

When CHP's criminal interdiction was in its prime I bet they seized more narcotics than the LAPD and LASO combined. And you figure only a small percentage of the officers were getting the seizures.

politics came in and consent searches are outlawed and the seizures went way down.

comments?


i know in Ventura County, the CHP leads in narcotics seizures.... that is a fact which comes from the Head Felony D.A. in Ventura....

as for the ACLU crap, that is supposed to end june 2, 2006 at midnite. then we can have our consent searches back. also we hopefully wont have to keep track of the race, gender, age, reason for the stop, result of stop, and amount of time spent on each stop..... they make us do that... which is profiling in and of itself.
we also just lost our deparmental chaplains.... someone brought a lawsuit using the ACLU, so now we cant have any department paid chaplains...

[USAcop]

i know in Ventura County, the CHP leads in narcotics seizures.... that is a fact which comes from the Head Felony D.A. in Ventura....

as for the ACLU crap, that is supposed to end june 2, 2006 at midnite. then we can have our consent searches back. also we hopefully wont have to keep track of the race, gender, age, reason for the stop, result of stop, and amount of time spent on each stop..... they make us do that... which is profiling in and of itself.
we also just lost our deparmental chaplains.... someone brought a lawsuit using the ACLU, so now we cant have any department paid chaplains...


they will still ask you in court if you are profiling no matter how obvious it is you are not profiling.

[PTI]

they will still ask you in court if you are profiling no matter how obvious it is you are not profiling.
Thats why its important to write some tickets every now and then for all those CS violations we use just to stop people but never write them for. You can go back and show that you regularly enforce those violations and you weren't just fishing.

[Wyatt Earp]

i know in Ventura County, the CHP leads in narcotics seizures.... that is a fact which comes from the Head Felony D.A. in Ventura....

as for the ACLU crap, that is supposed to end june 2, 2006 at midnite. then we can have our consent searches back. also we hopefully wont have to keep track of the race, gender, age, reason for the stop, result of stop, and amount of time spent on each stop..... they make us do that... which is profiling in and of itself.
we also just lost our deparmental chaplains.... someone brought a lawsuit using the ACLU, so now we cant have any department paid chaplains...

That may be true, but the VCSD leads in everything else.

[retired]

[QUOTE=CHPMarine]i know in Ventura County, the CHP leads in narcotics seizures.... that is a fact which comes from the Head Felony D.A. in Ventura....
QUOTE]

Wow, he must be one hellva DA that he keeps statistics on what LE agency has the most narcotic seizures. ;) And he is the head DA at that! :) That's a first for me. :rolleyes:

[CHPMarine]

no need for sarcasm... i said head felony DA... but i guess that doesnt matter, being super cop you know the statistics yourself, so please, enlighten this young, "wet behind the ears" cop...

[retired]

no need for sarcasm... i said head felony DA... but i guess that doesnt matter, being super cop you know the statistics yourself, so please, enlighten this young, "wet behind the ears" cop...

Hey, you're the super cop, just ask you. Don't you have a whole two years with CHP ? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I'm suprised you're not a Lt. yet. :rolleyes:

I don't know the statistics, but I question why the lead felony filing DA would keep those stats, or why he or she would want them. :confused:

Anyway, I didn't argue with two year veterans while I was working, and I'm sure not going to do it now. I'm sure you have all the answers. :rolleyes:

[CHPMarine]

i can see there is no point in arguing, it is hard to have a discussion with anyone who thinks they are right all the time because of how many years on the job they have.

[Bart]

Hey, you're the super cop, just ask you. Don't you have a whole two years with CHP ? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I'm suprised you're not a Lt. yet. :rolleyes:


dont forget his 5 years as an explorer. :rolleyes:

[Groundhog]

i can see there is no point in arguing, it is hard to have a discussion with anyone who thinks they are right all the time because of how many years on the job they have.

It's called "experience". There is rarely a substitute for it.

[retired]

i can see there is no point in arguing, it is hard to have a discussion with anyone who thinks they are right all the time because of how many years on the job they have.

Have I ever said I was right based solely on my years of service? :confused: But I will say that the more years you have on the job, the more educated, knowledgable, and more tolerant you probably will become. But two years is hardly a measurement of experience. :)

I don't want to argue with you either. And at the risk of sounding critical, or sarcastic as you put it, many of your comments remind me of the young, two year inexperienced deputies I knew when I was working. But hell, all of us at one time or another only had two years on the job, and if I can remember back that far, I think I had all the answers. :p Fortunately for me I had some good Sgts. and Lts. that set me straight real quick. ;) :)

[CHPMarine]

don't think i dont know my place, but a forum like this is a place where i can voice my opinions, and that is what i use it for. I have alot of respect for you, because you are much more experienced, i just dont appreciate the fact that my opinions get pushed aside or invalidated because of only having 2 years on the job. I may not know a whole lot about being a cop yet, but i like to think i know alot about our department, as i have been kind of a part of it since i was 2 years old, when my father came on. I have always been interested and learning.
Meet me in person and i am probably the most respectful "rookie" you will ever meet. I joined this forum to speak my opinions, not to hide in the shadows and keep quiet as i am expected to do at work.

[retired]

I joined this forum to speak my opinions, not to hide in the shadows and keep quiet as i am expected to do at work.

At least you know your place at work. :D :D :)

[Bart]

I joined this forum to speak my opinions, not to hide in the shadows and keep quiet as i am expected to do at work.

at work is where you should be voicing your opinions. do you think things will change by bitching on the internet? you might **** people off at work who dont agree with you but if the right ears hear your ideas, those ideas may come to fruition.

[PTI]

at work is where you should be voicing your opinions. do you think things will change by bitching on the internet? you might **** people off at work who dont agree with you but if the right ears hear your ideas, those ideas may come to fruition.
Darn, you almost had me there for a minute. I actually thought you were serious then I realized you had to mean that in a sarcastic way since only a boot rookie would think that way :D The right ears hearing your ideas.....Ha...you're killin me man.

[Bart]

Darn, you almost had me there for a minute. I actually thought you were serious then I realized you had to mean that in a sarcastic way since only a boot rookie would think that way :D The right ears hearing your ideas.....Ha...you're killin me man.

you know, youre right. i forgot where you work. the CHP isnt one of the most progressive agencies out there. its a shame. i bet they could change if they could just hire people who can think independently. BTW, you guys got the taser yet?

[PTI]

you know, youre right. i forgot where you work. the CHP isnt one of the most progressive agencies out there. its a shame. i bet they could change if they could just hire people who can think independently. BTW, you guys got the taser yet?
You are exactly right.....75 years of tradition unchanged by progress. Independent thinking is not allowed so thats out of the question. No taser yet, we still have to kick peoples asses the old fashioned way.

[Bart]

You are exactly right.....75 years of tradition unchanged by progress. Independent thinking is not allowed so thats out of the question.

thats a shame. but you know what they say, "you can teach an old dog new tricks"...... or is it "you cant teach a dumb dog new tricks"...... :o

[retired]

we still have to kick peoples asses the old fashioned way.

I'm shocked, absolutely shocked to hear that. :eek: :eek:

[PTI]

thats a shame. but you know what they say, "you can teach an old dog new tricks"...... or is it "you cant teach a dumb dog new tricks"...... :o
well being neither dumb or a dog I couldn't tell ya. As for it being a shame, maybe so, but its reality and to assume otherwise is boot rookie thinking or maybe when they did your sgt labotomy they reprogramed you to think you could make a difference.

[retired]

maybe when they did your sgt labotomy they reprogramed you to think you could make a difference.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Duke]

I promise never to make fun of the CHP again....if they forbid their motors from wearing those pretty blue bow ties! :eek:

[rayder1]

Wow...I dredged this one up from the archives. Sorry I missed out on this thread.

When I first started in law enforcement, there was a crotchety cadre of old cops who looked old, thought old, acted old and never learned a thing because they knew everything. Their only progressive thought was a change in medication. I glad they are all retired of fired by now.

Not all the old timers were like this but there definitely was a number of them like that.

I vowed never to be one of those.

Now I get to be one of the old timers and I have lived up to my vow. Not that I never look back, but I always look forward.

CHP Wanna Be.......ever make it to the Academy?

[jerkyg]

Howdy Folks,

Just saw this post and thought I would add me $.02 regarding the attitude that some have experienced with the CHP.

Having worked street patrol/traffic/radar...and now, in probation...I have my own opinion. By and far, I have been treated very well by the chippies. But, there have been a number of stories I have heard over the years. The attitude of..."this is MY highway" and the one, another forum member mentioned...that because of their training, they had an elitist opinion over other agencies. I can say that I have been stopped several times by the CHP over 22 years as an officer. All but one, the officer was courteous and offered professional courtesy. The one time that the officer "copped" (no pun intended) an attitude...getting ready to write me a citation and pointing out that I should know better than to be going 10 over the speed limit on "my highway"...I was quick to point out my experience working radar. That any given time I had stopped 10 off-duty officers, about 6 of them were CHP (must be harder acclimating to city speeds). He changed his mind and attitude towards me (maybe he was one of the guys I stopped).

Also, feelings and attitudes take a long time to go away. About 20 years ago, a city department that had a number of highways criss-crossing their beats...had one of their officers ticketed by the CHP for speeding after geting off work. Seems the Chippy knew the guy and didn't like him. Well, that started a battle where the city cops started waiting for the chips to get off work and gave them tickets...and visa versa. The commanders from both departments eventually had to step in and call a truce...and all the tickets were trashed. But, the resentment lasted for many, many years.

In the end, I have been one who considers all law-enforcement family. I don't care if you are CHP, city, college or AMTRAK. When I worked traffic, I always gave professional courtesy to all law-enforcement, active military and medical personnel (it would be my luck if I got shot in the ***...the attending physician would be the one operating..."nurse, we won't be needing any anesthetic!") I just believe that we need to treat each other as brothers and sisters. Because if something goes wrong (or right), the general public will hang us out to dry when the administration/media go after you. Or, if you're getting your *** kick on the side of the road by some crankster...John Q Public will keep driving or get out his video camera for REAL TV...but, I will stop and risk my life to help, no matter what agency you work for.

JB

[ColoradoCop07]

Ok, I am coming out there in a few weeks to test with the LAPD, and if hired, I hope that the LE atmosphere out there isn't really as whiney and competitive as it seems to be from this thread.

Seriously folks, get over yourselves. You all do important work, you all deserve credit, thanks, and respect.

I just lost a friend out here who was on the department. He was shot in the head and died instantly. We had folks from all over, and from every type of department imaginable, come to his funeral. School cops, military cops, state cops, city cops. You know, know one really cared who was "more" of a cop at the funeral....we were all just cops.

Anyway, hammer me if you will.....

Respect each other and protect each other....whether you think you are more of a cop or not.

[DOAcop38]

In all my years in LE, I never, but never knew any local cop who thought CHP looked down on them. Contrary to what you said, it has always been the other way around.

I also never knew a local cop who wanted to be a CHiPpie but couldn't get hired, or couldn't hack it at the CHP academy.

Where did you come up with that ? :confused: :rolleyes:

I Also Agree with that -While in LAPD academy the instructors would take us on runs and we'd pass a certain hang out spot for CHP officers near the 5 fwy - we had a a chant ( cadence) on the run and it would go something like this -"Hey,Chippies,pick up your ticket book and follow me,we'll teach you to be real COPS like LAPD "- real C.S. now that i think about it.Every agency,state,County, Municipal ,or district (like mine) have a job and function- I've had bad contacts with CHiPies and damn good ones too-they don't handle as many domestics ,459s,211s ,as my Dept does but they get in there all the same, and are darned good gurus on11550 H.S. DUI, pursuits,accidents invs, and spotting stolens-to each his own in finding a "home"( police job)- some folks are meant to be Deputies,some street cops, some Corrections officers, and some Highpatrolmen..........

[DOAcop38]

Ok, I am coming out there in a few weeks to test with the LAPD, and if hired, I hope that the LE atmosphere out there isn't really as whiney and competitive as it seems to be from this thread.

Seriously folks, get over yourselves. You all do important work, you all deserve credit, thanks, and respect.

Respect each other and protect each other....whether you think you are more of a cop or not.

Your right-But I'm warning you now- you are interested in joining a Dept that seems to DO nothing BUT "Bad mouth " other Depts for mistakes ( even making training videos about other agencies 'screw ups, but they "hide" or a re overly sensitive about their own failures!!!! ) LAPD is living off their PAST GLORY).You have to ask yourself a question-If LAPD is soo great,why do they force people to sign a 5 yr contract just to get hired and demand RePAYMENT if you leave the dept?Nobody ELSE in California does that!!! But bottom line WE ALL DO come to each others aid when the "chips" are down and an officer needs back up- guys from different Depts will clear the station and speed at a break neck pace to back another local agency if they can. I've had veh. pursuits where at the end of it all, there were units from Inglewood PD,LACo.Sheriffs,LAPD,CHP,Hawthorne PD,even L.A School PD and State and State Fish and Game ready to watch my back.Its all a macho thing- but you don't have to buy into the "sh*t talking "

[yellowreef]

A little ribbin on each other never hurt anyone. CHP has use of an office at my station because the area is remote and their station is too far away for them to do everything there.

The other day one of the CHP guys came in out of the rain and grabbed a cup of coffee in the breakroom... Next thing you know, someone starts broadcasting the CHiP's theme song over all the speakerphones at the station. We all had good laugh about it and made a bunch of comments, but you know what? When they need backup we go balls to walls, no different than if it was one of our guys needing it. That's what its all about. Regardless of agency and regardless of what you think someone does or doesn't do. I'm sure I'm not even considered "real LEO" by some of you guys, but when it comes down to it, I'd roll Code 3 for you too.

[LA Copper]

Your right-But I'm warning you now- you are interested in joining a Dept that seems to DO nothing BUT "Bad mouth " other Depts for mistakes ( even making training videos about other agencies 'screw ups, but they "hide" or a re overly sensitive about their own failures!!!! ) LAPD is living off their PAST GLORY).You have to ask yourself a question-If LAPD is soo great,why do they force people to sign a 5 yr contract just to get hired and demand RePAYMENT if you leave the dept?Nobody ELSE in California does that!!! But bottom line WE ALL DO come to each others aid when the "chips" are down and an officer needs back up- guys from different Depts will clear the station and speed at a break neck pace to back another local agency if they can. I've had veh. pursuits where at the end of it all, there were units from Inglewood PD,LACo.Sheriffs,LAPD,CHP,Hawthorne PD,even L.A School PD and State and State Fish and Game ready to watch my back.Its all a macho thing- but you don't have to buy into the "sh*t talking "

A little bitter are we? If not, it certainly sounds like it. Some of our guys might have big mouths, but I believe we do a little bit more than just "bad mouth" other agencies.

And apparently you have forgotten, the reason we have training tapes on ours and other departments' incidents, whether good or bad, is to learn from, not to make fun of. I would hope that you have learned by now that it's always better to learn by other peoples' mistakes so that you don't make that same mistake yourself. Sure we have made our share of mistakes, (Rafael Perez and David Mack, being two of our biggest) but as was mentioned before, what agency hasn't, especially when you figure in that we have over 9000 people on our department. That's a lot of room for errors.

As far as why the department is trying to charge people who leave, it's because we provide a service (training) which costs a lot of money with the expectation to receive something from that service (a trained police officer to work the streets). When it comes down to it, it's still a business that involves money. Did you stop to think why the agency who hires that same officer is actually hiring him/her? At least one reason is because they don't have to pay for them to attend an academy (save money) and they have already received great training..

What some people don't understand is that the LAPD (as does several other agencies do) pays you to go to the academy, you don't pay them. This way a person doesn't have to pay his own way to go to an academy and receive a POST Certificate. After graduation, they can join any department in the state. To those types of people, that shows a lack of integrity, at least it does in my book.

And by the way, there's still plenty of "glory" to go around, including at the airport so please stop throwing stones.

[DOAcop38]

A little bitter are we? If not, it certainly sounds like it. Some of our guys might have big mouths, but I believe we do a little bit more than just "bad mouth" other agencies.
When it comes down to it, it's still a business that involves money. Did you stop to think why the agency who hires that same officer is actually hiring him/her? At least one reason is because they don't have to pay for them to attend an academy (save money) and they have already received great training..

What some people don't understand is that the LAPD (as does several other agencies do) pays you to go to the academy, you don't pay them. This way a person doesn't have to pay his own way to go to an academy and receive a POST Certificate. After graduation, they can join any department in the state. To those types of people, that shows a lack of integrity, at least it does in my book.

And by the way, there's still plenty of "glory" to go around, including at the airport so please stop throwing stones.


"Bitter"? about what? the city pays me $80k/yr before taxes or O.T. $$$ ,provides well for me, allows me to CCW when the avg citizen doesn't have it, and lets me work a job that many dream about having.and as far as paying for something - its a pretty fair give and take - the State ,via POST requires that agencies train officers to a certain standard, so thats not an "option" ,and if you want to get people to do the job you have to PAY them- i don't know of any Dept in Calif that DOESN'T pay its recruit officers, so your "point" is ? But where in that LAPD "contract" does it SAY that the recruit HAS a guaranteed JOB for 5 yrs? They can easily be fired from probation,making the matter moot- why NOT charge those people also? The City loses money on the training there too.Bottom line is that you cannot compel someone to work for you if they decide not to.Better to have a few happy employees than a lot of people who don't want to be there - there are no "indentured servants" anymore .and as far as bad mouthing? Try the LAPD mgm't take on the Inglewood PD officer Jeremy Morse UOF incident ( "our officer recieve better training on conflict resolution and we receive over 1100 hrs vs inglewood PDs 880 hrs of training-L.A. Times) or the Comments about "poor shooting performance" of the compton Sheriffs Deputies trying to stop that Wht ford SUV, when LAPD was sweating bullets over the Devin Brown shooting?Also printed in the L.A. Times! A while ago was at 77th div when Torrance PD came to pick up a warrant suspect from L.A.P.D - the TPD guys were nice and left appropriately,but you could hear the sh*tty remarks about "bedroom cops" doing REAL POLICE work and other things.watched as School PD guys were filing a rpt, again childish and unneeded back biting about Fellow law enforcement, and its not merely jokes ,its "palpable" DISTAIN.Was happy to leave,after comments about "us" sucking up all that Free city $$ while LAPD guys were "broke"(how? - you guys make 5-7% more than we do)

The "animousity" felt for some of your colleagues or your Dept was started many times by crappy acting LAPD personnel toward acomodating other Police agencies(and bad news travels FAST,right or wrong) ! And its the LACK of respect for other LEO brethren that leads to this actually unneeded conversation !

I'll be honest with you,knowing what I know now, LAPD would make sense for a young officer- chances to go throughout the city- a smart and energetic copper would have worked almost every bureau before retiring,or maybe lateralling to a suburban agency and "spreading" some of that experience with the experience of that other dept.whether you believe itor not, crime experiences are the SAME for almost everybody in So.Calif,some of us see a dead body once every coupla' months, some see them every other day- but dead is dead.same with the drugs, the guns, the 211s, the fights,the stolens, the sex assaults, the gang bangers ( I often laugh at how many times an OT working LAPD officer has pointed out some gangbanger they were chasing in their div who happens to be working at an airline Company) Until we get some sort of Federal Pd,like the RCMP, we are "stuck" with the myriad of agencies , and We all need each other to do the job,else some of us alone would get overwhelmed! Like I told the earlier poster ,you don't have to buy into the bad mouthing( from anyone) but i think its healthy to know what each agency offers and what doesn't .as far as the earlier reason for this conversation - CHP work is hard and scary -I hate car crashes and crazed CA. drivers - most unlicensed and on probation for something!To those who can hire on to be a CHiPpie, God bless........ :rolleyes:

[LA Copper]

As I mentioned earlier, you are right about some things, including we do have some officers that have big mouths (and big egos to go along with those big mouths). Many of those officers work South Bureau. But those same officers aren't that way only with outside agencies, they talk like that with other officers on our own department. Obviously not a good thing. Same for the few big mouths that say something in the press.

Please remember, we are an agency of about 9200 people so that leaves room for some "jerks." Lets face it, it happens whether it's right or wrong but I don't believe that's a reason to bad mouth the entire department. We aren't all like that. Most of us are good guys who respect other agencies, including CHP and DOA.

There are many people who put themselves through an academy in hopes of being picked up by a smaller department. Rio Hondo being one of the local ones. I was recently in Fresno at their academy for a class and spoke with a number of people who were sponsoring themselves in hopes of being hired by a local department. They had to pay for themselves, no department was paying for them.

The only time our department asks that you pay them back if you leave within five years is if you go to another department, not just if you decide not to be part of the LAPD.

And lets face it, the shooting in Compton was not a good thing, regardless of what department did the shooting. Over 100 rounds fired in a cross fire with the suspect only sustaining one leg wound and a deputy sustaining a friendly fire wound..
The Devin Brown shooting was not quite the same although it certainly got a lot more publicity for a much longer period of time. Not to mention the officer's marksmanship was a bit better than the Compton shooting.

I agree, we all need each other so let's all get along. We are all taking the same chances, regardless of what department we work for. The only difference is some are doing it more often. CHP is a good example over these last six months. Kudos to all who place themselves in harm's way.

[Five-0fromSoCal]

I have to admit, our dept. and the LAPDogs get along pretty well. I've worked side by side with them in black and whites during saturation patrols. Maybe cuz its a friendly rivarly, always has and always will. I think LA County agencies work together better than any other county or in the nation. I've heard of some really bad stories from off duty coppers down in O.C. agencies. But its funny how we have some stations that treat outside agencies better than their own people, just because they're from a different station.