Advice on CHP

[B-Hanson]

I am considering testing with the CHP, and I would like some input from current or former officers. I will be retiring from the Marine Corps in 2009; does anyone have an opinion on starting a CHP career so late? I will be 37 years of age at the academy.

Thanks,

Bill

[PapaBear]

This page should answer most of your questions. Your age is the detrimental consideration.

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

[B-Hanson]

I've been through the recruiting website. I've also been a recruiter before and was trying to avoid the recruiter answer. I was looking for feedback from officers on the street.

[Chippysgt]

Bill,

Semper Fi and thanks for your service to our nation.

I am a retired CHP Sgt, same as Papa Bear, so we are old timers in any book. I know that your military experience would be a definite plus as far as being focused and disciplined to complete the mission. No doubt in my mind that you would be able to pass the physical or mental challenges. The sad new is that the age limit is 35 for taking the test so I am afraid, without a legislative change or age discrimination lawsuit, the CHP is not available unless you are able to test when you are 35.
I ran into that issue when they opened a new Federal Prison in Atwater, CA. I was interested in getting some kind of a job there and I quickly found out that 37 was the maximum age to enter any kind of criminal justice type jobs with the federal government and that had to do with the pension for people in criminal justice type careers. That being said, the federal Bureau of Prisons is still looking for people for the facility in Atwater and you are okay on age being 37.
There are also many law enforcement agencies in California that do not have the age restrictions. Here in Merced County I know quite a few men who retired from the Air Force when Castle AFB was still open and went to work for Merced County Sheriff's Department and some of them are now retired from that second career. Merced County is a nice place to live and work and I think the SO is still looking for deputies as well as the federal prison in Atwater, 7 miles away. Best of luck to you where ever you go.

Brian
"Proud Air Force Veteran"

[Boomer]

You might think about applying with CDC. They have no age limit to their applicants. I have a good friend who is with CDC and she had a cadet in her academy who was almost 50 and she made it. Just another option. Good Luck.

[pupdog]

I don't know how it works, but you can buy back time (I think it's called). CTC III-06 had a 39 year old retired Marine.

[TahoeTex]

The CHP does offer military members a change to take the written test and then defer for up to 8 years. I'm not sure on the cap though for the academy. Buying back time is for retirement purposes only and it was only up to 4 years, from what I've read.

Chippysgt is right about SOs and PDs - most don't have age limits. A friend from college's father retired from the AF in his 40s and then went to work for Sac SO.

snowdog should be able to give you a good answer on your question

Best of luck and stay safe in the sandbox

VMH - current USAF reservist and former AD member

[B-Hanson]

I will be testing in a few months; I will be 35 and I've been shown a delayed entry program for active military, as long as you pass the written at 35 you're good. I also don't have any concerns about academy life, I've spent many months away from the family. I was just trying to get a feel for the work environment as an older rookie officer and how long it takes to move up the promotion ladder.

[ka4993]

If you do a couple ride-a-longs it will help you to see what its all about. I love the job...to me there is no better job in the world.

[Capsicum]

I was just trying to get a feel for the work environment as an older rookie officer and how long it takes to move up the promotion ladder.

As stated, a ride-a-long would give you insight that no words on a screen could equate. I did a few of them during the application process and it only bolstered my desire for the job.

As for the promotion ladder, that is a whole different beast. It depends on what you want to do. Many officers just want to work the road for their whole career and have no desire to climb the ladder, while for others its all the strive for.

[DReed]

In my Area we've had a lot of success with our "seasoned" trainees who've come out of the academy. In my experience with older trainees, there's a lot less time spent working on new guy issues and more time getting you adjusted to the area and life as an officer.

With a lifetime of military experience behind you I'm sure you'll find your break in period manageable. You might want to search the archives for previous posts and look in the applicant section of this site for some more detail on what to expect.

[Your Mentor]

Welcome.

Just a quick point: our recruiters won't give you any different information from those of us in the field. They might gloss over a little of the road grunge but that's usually from lack of field time as opposed to pressure for numbers. This isn't the military and we're not dealing with those kinds of quotas. You don't have to BS people for a job that will pay 50k a year at bottom step. (I'm at top step and not yet at senior officer status <six more months> and I almost cleared 80K with VERY little overtime. Do you think we need to BS candidates to recruit?). I just don't want you to feel any apprehension about talking with someone from recruitment. They know more than those of us here who are working the field because they're getting information we simply don't have access to (class sizes, hiring timelines, management strategies, etc).

We have officers and sergeants represented pretty well here. With upward movement comes a completely different perspective and focus. If you want to work the road, you really can't do so regularly above those two ranks. Once you enter management you're looking at an entirely different job which doesn't necessarily fit the agency title (not a lot of patrolling and not a lot of highway). With every rank comes a change in job and it's more distinct in police work than in the military (I was enlisted 9 years). There are fewer rank designations and each is removed further from 'The Road'. Some large areas have a lieutenant that focuses on field issues but for the most part if you are looking for road time, look no further than officer or sergeant. And promoting to sergeant requires some caviats but I'll leave that to Chippysgt and Pappabear. As an officer, you can't ask for a better responsibility-to-time ratio. We work primarily alone, help each other when needed, toss our activity in the basket and go home. Sergeants have a lot more responsibility and their time is often monopalized by staff work. In other words, sergeants have separate inboxes and outboxes. Officers only have ONE pigeon hole. It's really hard to understand from the outside looking in. Anyway, promote beyond Sergeant and you're giving more of your life over to the department. You reap a higher salary but sacrifice costly family time to the department whenever upper management demands it. Understand that we don't have a defined class structure like the military. There is no 'enlisted' (minimal education), 'non-commissioned officers' (experienced), or 'officers' (education with unknown experience). There's no way to make civilian law enforcement rank structure fit that defined set of classes. Officers are EXPECTED to operate with minimal supervision. That same notion follows up the ladder. Unlike the military, only the bad apples engender focused supervision. As I already said, we operate autonomously, for the most part. We sit through briefing, are assigned a beat, and then we're pretty much alone in the car until the end of our shift (baring the occassional 'event' or two). We are divided, into four organizational structures; rank and file (officers), supervision (sergeants), management (lieutenants, captains, and chiefs), and executive management (commissioners). In complete contrast to the military, our rank structure is not restricted by education or experience. You will find officers who have Phd's and masters degrees (I taught several at the Academy) and you will find Chiefs who have very little college. In the field more credit is given to those with field experience and field applicable training. In staff positions, more credit is given to political posturing, education, and specialized experience or training. Like the military, the higher you go, the more political the atmosphere.

I offer this assessment only for your consideration. I am an officer. I have been in a staff position twice (as an Academy instructor) and have worked the field for the most part. I am only relating what I see and analyze from my perspective. There are others here who can give you a much better perspective beyond that; such as Mac, Chippysgt, Pappabear, Retchp, etc.

Unlike military recruiting, this forum will provide you with EVERY possible answer you can engineer a question for. And none of us would be here if it wasn't for our own personal love for this job. So don't entertain the notion that a recruiter would BS you just to get you into a class. Not going to happen.

Again, welcome. Just a trivial afterthought to motivate you: every cadet class in the past twenty years has had a higher percentage of Marines than any other single military branch. The lowest percentage was the Coast Guard (of which I'm a veteran) which tells me that men and women willing to take dangerous risks, versus men and women hellbent on safety, are more apt to sign up for the CHP. Whatever. All the best in your decision.
Your Mentor

[B-Hanson]

I appreciate all of the knowledge and wisdom that this forum provides. All of your responses have been very helpful. It is good to know that your institution has put its integrity before recruiting. I have many friends employed by local departments who question my interest in CHP. They talk about how much easier it would be to apply with San Diego, or Riverside. I have never been interested in easy, I think the benefits of a live-in academy are invaluable. The history and reputation of the CHP speaks for itself. Hopefully one day I will be found worthy of that title.

Thank you all and be safe.

Bill

[Mac]

I've been through the recruiting website. I've also been a recruiter before and was trying to avoid the recruiter answer. I was looking for feedback from officers on the street.
I've got 20+ years on, and can honestly 100% say without reservation that I wouldn't have done anything different. It's a great job, offers challenges, variety, mobility, stability and good pay/benefits. One of the biggest advantages of this department over local agencies is the ability to transfer anywhere in the state without having to make major changes....just submit a transfer request, and when you have the required seniority you'll get there. To do the same from a local agency you'd have to apply and go through the whole hiring process with another agency, lose all your seniority and/or rank, experience a change in pay/benefits, etc. An LAPD officer (just as an example) who wanted to get out of the big city and go to a small sheriff's department up in northern CA would take a major pay cut in the process....with the CHP, you draw the same paycheck in Quincy that you do in Central Los Angeles, and have all the same benefits. Your seniority stays intact, and if you're a sergeant, lieutenant, etc., you retain your rank also.

[ResQ]

Can you Palace Chase (Air Force Term for get out early) or transfer into a guard unit to fulfill your obligation? How about Inactive Ready Reserve? Time is ticking for you...no doubt. I was 32 at the academy, and it was not too tough to keep up with the younger guys physically, and I had a great head start with my previous 11+ years of military experience...so that is in your favor. The pay and benefits are BETTER than military...so that is why I suggest getting out early if this is what you really want. On IRR you can always get back into the military if things don't work. As far as the experience of the academy and break-in; I think my experience made it a bit easier since I didn't get too stressed when stuff was going sideways. It is intense, but not unmanageable. You can stay an officer your whole career or test for Sergeant after 3 years on the road...and then up from there. The actual job is great compared to military daily duty. Yes, we still have a chain of command, but once you hit the road for the day, you are your own boss (for the most part). Still have to follow the policies and rules, but there is no one breathing down your neck and making you check in after every incident (i.e. ok new troop clean the latrines and then check in with me for your next assignment...painting rocks...weeds & seeds...etc.). So that will feel nice. I found in the military there are MANY solutions if you are persistent...so as you get near the end of the testing process...you can hit up your CO and request to be released?! Maybe it could happen while you are still mid-30's?

Oh, and by the way...you won't be a "leather-neck" any more...maybe a little softer...say "suede-neck" ?? :biggrin:

best of luck