CHP: full service or traffic?

[reils49]

First let me apologize to any CHP officers, for taking your agencies exam….and not knowing much about you guys.

Recently I have talked to several CHP officers and gotten conflicting answers about my question, “Is the California Highway Patrol full service?” I know some places call their state law enforcement agency a “highway patrol” or “state patrol”, even though they are more along the lines of a state police. Is the CHP a law enforcement agency that responds to calls for things like domestic violence complaints and other criminal complaints normally handled by the PD or Sheriffs? Or do they maintain strictly traffic enforcement function? Does the CHP have specialized units like SWAT, K-9, and Detectives? I would appreciate any info. Thanks.

[DAL]

I am not and never have been a CHP officer, so don't rely too much on this info.

The primary duty of the CHP is traffic. Howver, the State Police are now part of the CHP, so the CHP also provides executive protection and security for the appellate courts. They also conduct vehicle-related investigations and do crowd control to supplement local agencies.

The CHP academy has expanded to include more about criminal law and the CHP will now sometimes investigate crimes that occur on freeways. However, so far as I know, the CHP does not have primary jurisdiction for criminal offenses anywhere in the state. Because some of the most crime-ridden areas in Southern California are unincorporated, and the CHP provides traffic enforcement in unincorporated areas, CHP officers do sometimes get involved in criminal matters.

[IrishLacrosse]

If you are seriously considering working for CHP then you will be glad to visit the unofficial CHP forums website. www.chpforums.com

[lovinCVC14601]

I am not and never have been a CHP officer, so don't rely too much on this info.

The primary duty of the CHP is traffic. Howver, the State Police are now part of the CHP, so the CHP also provides executive protection and security for the appellate courts. They also conduct vehicle-related investigations and do crowd control to supplement local agencies.

The CHP academy has expanded to include more about criminal law and the CHP will now sometimes investigate crimes that occur on freeways. However, so far as I know, the CHP does not have primary jurisdiction for criminal offenses anywhere in the state. Because some of the most crime-ridden areas in Southern California are unincorporated, and the CHP provides traffic enforcement in unincorporated areas, CHP officers do sometimes get involved in criminal matters.



i 2nd that. and they do have a detective unit. to my knowledge they only respond to traffic and anything that happins on hwy's and unincorporated streets. they also have the handle to any officer involved T.C.'s in the state

[jato]

CHP is traffic enforcement for Freeways and Unincorporated areas.

[L-1]

Section 830.2(a) of the Penal Code mandates that the CHP's primary mission 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."

Setting the traffic enforcement responsibilities aside, CHP's next primary function is providing police services to state government. In that respect it provides for the physical security (Dignitary Protection) of the Governor, Constitutional Officers, elected state officials and visiting dignitaries. It investigates crimes committed: against state government as a political entity; against state employees; on state property; or against visitors to state properties. It also serves as an enforcement arm for smaller state enforcement or regulatory agencies. For example, it serves arrest warrants for the Franchise Tax Board (state income tax authority) and performs civil seizures and auctions of seized goods on behalf of the Franchise Tax Board and Board of Equalization (state sales tax authority). It also serves as Bailiffs in the State Supreme and Appellate Courts.

How and where CHP provides police services to state properties gets complicated. First, it will not provide routine law enforcement services to those state facilities that maintain their own police forces for the purposes of self protection, such as State Universities and Colleges, State Parks, State Mental Hospitals, State Prisons, etc. One State Fairground has its own police force so they do not get service, but the other 57 state fairgrounds throughout California are eligible for service. In addition, CHP maintains memorandums of understanding with local PDs and SOs with respect to who will provide police services to state property in their respective jurisdictions. This is a throwback to the pre-merger days when the California State Police was only in major cities and rural PDs & SOs were the only ones available to serve their state facilities. If a local PD or SO insists on handling state property in their jurisdiction, that's fine. However, state administrative rules then mandate that the victim state agency fill out a separate one page form reporting the crime and send it in to CHP so they can capture the stats.

The handling of major crimes such as murder or rape is likely to be handed off to the local jurisdiction for completion, simple because CHP does not see enough of these violations to develop the expertise necessary to investigate them to a conclusion. Unless the law has changed since I retired, domestic violence violations still must be reported to the local PD or SO, even if they occur on state property.

While CHP maintains an investigative unit, its main focus is on auto theft. CHP does participate in joint task forces involving narcotics, terrorism, etc, but the number of officers assigned is minimal.

CHP has K9 units throughout the state. They also maintain a Mounted Unit, Bomb Squad and Swat Team at the State Capitol in Sacramento.

[SgtCHP]

* The CHP is empowered by law with full peace officer powers.

* Their primary responsibility is traffic law enforcement and traffic related investigations.

* In the most metropolitan areas of the state they remain primarily on freeways and in the unicorporated areas of counties. However, in the more open areas of the state, they will often do primary investigations in preparation for a local agency's detectives to follow up, because the peace officer to square mile ratio is so wide open.

* Duties and responsibilities of the CHP are ever expanding with respect to transportation and criminal law enforcement. The only limits of their responsibility are defined by the borders with Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon.

* Local jurisdictions maintain investigative responsibility for all criminal matters that occur within their areas of patrol and command. The CHP is available to assist if called upon.

* If a CHP officer encounters a criminal matter, s/he will immediately request the local entity and will yield to the responding officer(s) for investigation. The CHP officer will prepare a written statement of the incident and provide it for the agency to include in the report; and, the CHP officer will assist as required or requested.

During my career I was involved with many criminal matters and had no problems working with allied agencies or personnel. And that ranged from the local level to the federal level.

[Five-0fromSoCal]

i 2nd that. and they do have a detective unit. to my knowledge they only respond to traffic and anything that happins on hwy's and unincorporated streets. they also have the handle to any officer involved T.C.'s in the state

Only officer t/c's on highway or unincorporated areas.

[Royd5150]

Yes I agree with L-1, but also add ONLY when they have a unit available, otherwise its yours. I would like their deal where you recruit (line officers too) someone into the CHP and they pass the academy, you the recruiter get at least a week off.

[L-1]

Yes I agree with L-1, but also add ONLY when they have a unit available, otherwise its yours. I would like their deal where you recruit (line officers too) someone into the CHP and they pass the academy, you the recruiter get at least a week off.

A week????? It used to be one day if you recruited someone.

As far as having units available, in Sacramento, calls for state property are handled by the Capitol Corps which, because of the State Capitol and high concentration of state property has personnel working 24 hours per day.

In the major metropolitan areas (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Ana, San Diego, etc.) police services to state property are handled by officers assigned to the Safety Services Program (SSP) which is basically the old State Police function. They mainly work Monday through Friday, during the hours state facilities are normally open. While their primary function is to patrol state facilities and handle calls on state property, during quiet times they will help out the traffic guys by handling some of the garbage calls like disabled motorists, traffic hazards, and minor crashes. After normal business hours and outside the major metropolitan areas, calls for service at state facilities should be going to whichever traffic officer handles that beat.

[nobody33]

My departments MOU is that CHP handles EVERYTHING on freeways and state property --- except rapes and homicides. They are pretty good about it. Another area I worked in farther north, CHP handled only traffic... not even 5150's on the freeway... and had to call us on everything that happened at state property that was above an alarm call...

[L-1]

My departments MOU is that CHP handles EVERYTHING on freeways and state property --- except rapes and homicides. They are pretty good about it. Another area I worked in farther north, CHP handled only traffic... not even 5150's on the freeway... and had to call us on everything that happened at state property that was above an alarm call...

CHP Area offices sometimes operate like little kingdoms - the enforcement philosophy and MOU changing with each commander. After the CSP/CHP merger. there was one Southern California CHP Area Commander who was a former LASD deputy. His philosophy was that his office will handle everything on state property, even murders. When he retired, he was replaced by someone whose only experience was in CHP traffic. Immediately things changed and if it wasn't in the Vehicle Code, personnel from that office now had to turn things just about everything over to the locals for disposition.

[reils49]

So am I correct in saying the CHP is "full service, but not quite full service"?

[DOAcop38]

So am I correct in saying the CHP is "full service, but not quite full service"?

almost every agency is "full service capable"- but you have to look not only at an agencies penal code status ,but its budget,jurisdictional coverage ,and clientele.Locally , L.A. Unified School Police has over 360 officers,a SWAT team ,motor cycles and traffic enforcement team,K-9s, and Detectives who handle a myriad of violent /economic/property/sex crimes.but they are a district police agency-and their course and scope is politically limited sometimes byt the "larger" area agency.Then you have depts like Manhattan and Hermosa bch PD-both municipal depts, yet they have small deployments,and tend to turn over major investigations to the L.A. county Sheriffs depts. Its more about politics and course /scope - sometimes patrolling some city/area with mainly warehouses or rural lands can get boring,and sometimes chasing 17 yr old dope dealers and gangbangers can get to be a burn out-YOU need only decide on what it is you WANT ultimately( for 20+ yrs )

[pulicords]

I've worked extensively with CHP vehicle theft investigators assigned to several different taskforces. All were extremely knowledgeable in this field and outstanding investigators. Some of them were later transfered to other specialized investigative assignments. Although there are obviously not as many investigative assignments in CHP as some generalized law enforcement organizations, if you show your initiative and have the ability to do good work, you can get off the road and into some excellent assignments.

[ateamer]

My agency has an MOU with CHP. They take traffic collisions, 23110s (throwing objects at moving vehicles), DUIs and public drunks on freeways. We take criminal cases, public drunks on surface streets, and turn suspected DUIs ove to CHP. They respond to the stop and do the FSTs and make the arrest. Our report just has to cover the reasonable suspicion for the stop and why we called CHP to do a DUI investigation. CHP has an MOU with us and the PD in which the local DMV office; the local agencies will investigate any crime that occurs on state property in our areas because we are more experienced with criminal investigations.

It works beautifully. Every now and then there is a glitch, but it is always worked out at the officer or sergeant level. CHP and we work very well together. In fact, all of our trainees ride with CHP for a day during Phase III of field training. The primary purpose is for DUI training, but it also fosters good interagency relations. In the past, we have had CHP ride with us a few times so that they can learn more about how we handle things and our tactics. We also have multiagency training days that include CHP.

[jato]

It's been 16 years and I have yet to meet a CHP detective. :(

There must not be very many of them around. :(

I have never known CHP to take an auto theft report, even though it is a Vehicle Code violation (talking about in unincorporated territory). :(

I hear things are different up north. YMMV.

[CHP Medic]

We do have investigators (guess you could call them detectives), and yes we do take stolen reports. Where I work (Fresno) we also have officers in auto theft, agriculture crimes, gang units, judicial protection, and probably others that I don't know of. But, our primary job is traffic enforcement.

[L-1]

So am I correct in saying the CHP is "full service, but not quite full service"?

DOA cop spoke of Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach PDs. They provide the same type police services as LAPD. But, should they get a major crime such as a homicide, it is not unusual for them to ask the sheriff's department to handle the investigation because they have limited resources or expertise in that particular area. This is common for many departments in Los Angeles county (and the rest of the country for that matter) and doesn't make them any less of a law enforcement agency.

So, with this in mind, it's had to respond to you question unless you first tell us how you define a "full service agency."

[ateamer]

It's been 16 years and I have yet to meet a CHP detective. :(

There must not be very many of them around. :(

I have never known CHP to take an auto theft report, even though it is a Vehicle Code violation (talking about in unincorporated territory). :(

I hear things are different up north. YMMV.
CHP takes 10851 reports here, unless the car was taken as part of a burglary - then we take it (not too common).

[SgtCHP]

The primary reasons for the local agencies to handle reportable crimes within their jurisdiction is statistical and uniformity of investigations. There are too many issues that arise when a CHP officer encounters an in progress issue and attempts to start the investigation and then turn the report over to the agency having jurisdiction. Especially within the metropolitan areas.

When I worked in a particular San Bernardino County mountain area in the 70s, I would routinely handle 459s, 484/488s, misdemeanor assaults, etc. I would conduct the preliminary investigation, obtain a SBSO DR # and submit the information to the local SBSO Station at the end of my shift. Why? Because there was often a one hour or more response time for a deputy to respond. I would also call for a CSI unit for prints, photos, etc. It worked out well for us and the SBSO. The local Rangers would also do prelims while waiting for me or a deputy. We all worked together for the betterment of the community.

Although unusual for the Southern regions of California, it is a very common activity in the Northern remote areas of the state.

[DAL]

Conversely, when I worked in the Bay Area, I took a few collision reports for the CHP because the city boundaries were so ridiculous that it was faster to simply write the report than to wait for CHP to arrive.

[Up_On_Base]

After how many years does an officer top in pay?

Also, I noticed on the website 90% of top year...is that after 20 or 25 years.

Excellent benefits compared to east coast.

I am heading to SoCal next week for business, any recommendations for bar/restaurants in Laguna Woods area?

[xdrcx]

After how many years does an officer top in pay?

Also, I noticed on the website 90% of top year...is that after 20 or 25 years.

Excellent benefits compared to east coast.

I am heading to SoCal next week for business, any recommendations for bar/restaurants in Laguna Woods area?

It's 90% after 30 years. Its that 3% at 50 retirement you see. You get 3% a year until you hit 90% and you can start receiving it if you retire at 50 years old. So 20 years would be 60% and 25 years would be 75%.

[Up_On_Base]

It's 90% after 30 years. Its that 3% at 50 retirement you see. You get 3% a year until you hit 90% and you can start receiving it if you retire at 50 years old. So 20 years would be 60% and 25 years would be 75%.

Thanks for the info, pretty good package IMO. Even if you did 25 @ 75%, can't beat that here on the east coast.

[hbliam]

Thanks for the info, pretty good package IMO. Even if you did 25 @ 75%, can't beat that here on the east coast.


Plus you can puchase five years of credit and still get 90% with 25 years of service.

Laguna Woods? Nothing in Laguna Woods but old people. Head to Laguna Beach or Newport for entertainment.

[CityCopDC]

Thanks for the info, pretty good package IMO. Even if you did 25 @ 75%, can't beat that here on the east coast. MPD offers 80% retirement....

If you have military time you can get it boosted up to 83%

[DOAcop38]

MPD offers 80% retirement....

If you have military time you can get it boosted up to 83%

nice but how does that beat CA. PERS safety retirement of 3%@50 or 3%@55 ?
(unless you can pull the "pin" for 80-83% at 20 or 25 yrs)

[bigwillie909]

I happen to have seen 7mary 3 and 4 respond on their motors to many calls back in the 80's. I was young but i remember bank robberies, structure fires, diabetic emergencies, stolen cars illegal drag races and a few shootings. LOL

ps If dont know who 7 mary 3 and 4 are, you were not an 80's child

[LA DEP]

It depends on the area....At the station I worked, we rarely saw them, and would kind of give them the 'stink eye' if they were in our RD......but, up in Lancaster/Palmdale we work with them all the time.....roll to back each other up ect....all criminal stuff is handled by the SD guys, traffic on the freeway/non incorporated county areas handled by CHP......

[CityCopDC]

nice but how does that beat CA. PERS safety retirement of 3%@50 or 3%@55 ?
(unless you can pull the "pin" for 80-83% at 20 or 25 yrs)

Naw. You have to do the 25, then to max out at 80% you have to do a year or two more if you dont have prior military. So in short, I have to do about 27 years to max out because Im not staying till im 50 (came on at 21). Also I quoted the other poster in reference to east coast depts. ;)

[Kieth M.]

I happen to have seen 7mary 3 and 4 respond on their motors to many calls back in the 80's. I was young but i remember bank robberies, structure fires, diabetic emergencies, stolen cars illegal drag races and a few shootings. LOL

ps If dont know who 7 mary 3 and 4 are, you were not an 80's child

Yeah, but that's when they weren't busy spelunking, rock climbing, hang-gliding, SCUBA diving, skateboarding, playing ice hockey, rodeo-ing, skydiving, BMX riding, motocross riding, snow/water/jet-skiing, roller disco-ing, working with handicapped kids at the equine therapy center, or reading to blind children....did I miss anything?

And of course, they never, ever, touched their firearms either on, or off-duty.

[Up_On_Base]

From what I understand most newbies get sent to LA or SF, does CHP offer a locality pay adjustment? Any area get more full service opps than traffic, I enjoy both traffic and service calls (prefer traffic).

The starting pay is very good but cost of living is high in those areas, I spent many summers growing up in the Mission Viejo and looked at moving out there but can't find anything nice under 450K in a good town. But...I don't know all the good spots to live so I might be missing some places.

Can anyone name 2-3 good places to live in NoCal and SoCal that a new CHP officer can live (with wife working full time in good job) Send PM if you prefer not to post.

The more I think about getting back into LE, going west makes the most sense.

Thanks

[CHP Medic]

It is true that most the new guys go to LA or the Bay Area, and we do not get differential pay based on the cost of living in those areas. When I worked in LA we pretty much only had freeway beats and only did traffic type stuff, but in the central valley we have more urban county beats where you'll run into more general law enforcement type stuff. When I worked LA I lived in Santa Clarita, really nice there, but had a 20-30 min commute to the office (on a good day).

P.S. I heard a rumor of a new "CHiP's" movie coming out next year.

[CHP Medic]

Im not sure why so many cops live in Santa Clarita, but when I was there it was one of the safest cities in the US. Kinda funny going to the mall and all the guys have flat-tops and fanny packs.

[LA DEP]

There are a lot of cops (CHP, LAPD/SO, etc) that live in Santa Clarita/Valencia. Why is that?

Because quite a bit of the rest of SoCal is a pit.....Most LEO's live on the outskirts......lived in LA city for awhile....Granada Hills (was there for the 94 earthquake) and Encino....and these are some of the NICER areas of LA....will never live in LA city again....

[L-1]

There are a lot of cops (CHP, LAPD/SO, etc) that live in Santa Clarita/Valencia. Why is that?

It is a newer area of the county (new and nicer home construction), housing prices tend to be a bit cheaper and there are a lot fewer dirtbags living there. However, it is extremely hot during the summer and you still have a long, long commute to get to the main parts of the county.

Most people outside of the area don't understand what a PITA our commute can be and this needs to be a big factor in choosing where to live. The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area runs about 70 miles west to east, from the ocean to the San Bernardino County, and about 70 miles north to south, from Valencia and Santa Clarita to the Orange County Line. Within that area is roughly 70 wall to wall cities, containing a little under 10 million people. But, wall to wall cities don't stop at county line. Instead, they continue into adjoining San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties, all of whom contribute people who work in LA and add to our commuting woes. All this creates one heck of a mess during commute hours.

It's been over 15 years since I was assigned to Los Angeles. When I worked there I lived in Manhattan Beach and my office was in downtown Los Angeles, 21 miles away. You'd think this would be a simple 20 to 30 minute commute. In reality, it was 70 to 100 minutes each way during rush hour. I don't even want to guess what it would be today.

When you factor in the cost of gas, increased insurance rates, wear and tear on your car and time lost due to commuting, it may be more economical to buy a higher priced home closer to work than purchase in one of the outlying areas and have a long commute.

[hbliam]

When you factor in the cost of gas, increased insurance rates, wear and tear on your car and time lost due to commuting, it may be more economical to buy a higher priced home closer to work than purchase in one of the outlying areas and have a long commute.


I agree and to take it further. I believe in buying in the most expensive area you can afford to, for the simple reason that generally the more expensive the neighborhood the less crime. My next neighborhood will be gated and deeper into the cookie cutter, expensive, suburbia if I can swing it.

[L-1]

I agree and to take it further. I believe in buying in the most expensive area you can afford to, for the simple reason that generally the more expensive the neighborhood the less crime. My next neighborhood will be gated and deeper into the cookie cutter, expensive, suburbia if I can swing it.

Plus, it will pay off in the long run because of skyrocketing real estate values. I got transferred to Orange County in 1993. It was an 84 mile round trip for me each day from where I lived in LA County, so I decided to buy down there. I found a place in Newport Beach, five doors from the water for $302K, which was big money back then. I could barely afford it and had to rent out my garage as a bootleg apartment just to make the payments. The house is now paid off and valued at about $1.4 mil. My only regret is that Dennis Rodman was my neighbor for several years and I had to put up with the noise from all his parties.

[Garbage Man]

I happen to have seen 7mary 3 and 4 respond on their motors to many calls back in the 80's. I was young but i remember bank robberies, structure fires, diabetic emergencies, stolen cars illegal drag races and a few shootings. LOL

ps If dont know who 7 mary 3 and 4 are, you were not an 80's child

CHiPs sucked..Adam 12 now thats a cop show

[motoben714]

Im not sure why so many cops live in Santa Clarita, but when I was there it was one of the safest cities in the US. Kinda funny going to the mall and all the guys have flat-tops and fanny packs.

And Oakleys/Mustaches too????!?? LOL :cool: