This forum is typical CHP

[SemiMBA]

What is your opinions of the quality of the officers that moved over to the CHP after the merger with the State Police? Was it an automatic transfer, or did the officers have to attend the CHP academy for training?

[SB 405]

Hate to ask a dumb question but when did the State Police blend with the CHP?


BTW Anyone know where Mentor is hiding?

[SemiMBA]

Sometime in the 1990's if memory serves. The state police used to be a relatively small (400 sworn) force that used to guard state properties (DMV, governor, etc).

[bts80]

All you need to know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Highway_Patrol

[14596]

this question should have been asked about 11+ years ago. but to answer, no problem at all.

[Chippysgt]

I just went to a retirement party for a guy who transferred over from the State Police to the CHP when we merged. He ended up with about 34 years of state service after his tour with the Army in Vietnam and while in state service he rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. He retired from his job as the Lt. Commander of the Chowchilla River Inspection Facility. I guess my point is that we got some high quality people from the merger. I think, for the most part, we got good people in the merger.

[BoySergeant]

Those that came over during the merger in 1995 are a wealth of knowledge and information (especially as it relates to SSP - Safety Services Program duties). They have a perspective not common amongst most Chippies.

There are some problems inherent with absorbing another agency (seniority, rank, pay, assignment, duties, etc...). While the State Police did have training and went through the FTO process, they did not go through the full Academy. I'll be honest and say there is a lot of talk about them because they didn't. But, take things others say with a grain of salt and make up your own mind on a one-on-one basis, just as you would anyone else.

[FlyWhiteGuy]

While the State Police did have training and went through the FTO process, they did not go through the full Academy. I'll be honest and say there is a lot of talk about them because they didn't. But, take things others say with a grain of salt and make up your own mind on a one-on-one basis, just as you would anyone else.

One of my ride alongs was with and older officer who was State Police and he said exactly that ^. No academy for him, but kinda the cold shoulder from some because he had it "easy" getting in. He was a way cool guy though, and talked more about the political side of things instead of the duty side of the job. Might have just been his deal though. As stated above make up your own mind, and I think any hard feelings will wash out as older officers retire and new ones fill in.

[SemiMBA]

Those that came over during the merger in 1995 are a wealth of knowledge and information (especially as it relates to SSP - Safety Services Program duties). They have a perspective not common amongst most Chippies.

There are some problems inherent with absorbing another agency (seniority, rank, pay, assignment, duties, etc...). While the State Police did have training and went through the FTO process, they did not go through the full Academy. I'll be honest and say there is a lot of talk about them because they didn't. But, take things others say with a grain of salt and make up your own mind on a one-on-one basis, just as you would anyone else.

Interesting perspective. I was very surprised when the two agencies merged. In the mid-1980's when people were leaving like flies out of the ACSO, I looked into the State Police. Having a brother with the CHP I had a pretty good perspective as to the quality of the officers with the CHP. I frankly did not see this with the 6 State Police officers that I had contact with. After the oral board (which seemed almost like a begging session "please come work for us.." type of interview), I withdrew. Perhaps this is just my experience with based on my contact with these six officers. One of the officers just said he was a glorified watchman (his words, not mine) whose beat was the bus station in San Francisco.

How many experienced State Police Officers washed from the CHP FTO process? If they washed, what happened then? (since most of them had already completed their probationary periods)

[BoySergeant]

Interesting perspective. I was very surprised when the two agencies merged. In the mid-1980's when people were leaving like flies out of the ACSO, I looked into the State Police. Having a brother with the CHP I had a pretty good perspective as to the quality of the officers with the CHP. I frankly did not see this with the 6 State Police officers that I had contact with. After the oral board (which seemed almost like a begging session "please come work for us.." type of interview), I withdrew. Perhaps this is just my experience with based on my contact with these six officers. One of the officers just said he was a glorified watchman (his words, not mine) whose beat was the bus station in San Francisco.

How many experienced State Police Officers washed from the CHP FTO process? If they washed, what happened then? (since most of them had already completed their probationary periods)

Yep, I have no doubt there are some officers who thought of themselves as glorified watchmen. There are CHP officers and those in any occupation that choose not to do their best, put themselves in positions were they do not have to do work or are burnt out. Know what I mean?The State Police Officers I have had contact with described to me complex investigations they were involved in, time spent in dignitary protection, assistance to allied agencies, etc... I have used their experience and guidance on more than one occasion. However, there were a few that were completely the opposite. The same as with any CHP Officer.

The officers that were unable to make the transition were permanently assigned to state buildings - as far as I know or retired. There were numerous former State Police officers at the Ronald Regan Building in downtown Los Angeles.

Maybe a former State Police Officer can shed some light on the subject??

[Shon29]

The merger happened in mid 1995. I did a stint at OCAPS (as it was called back then) and Dignitary Protection so I had the opportunity to work with many of them - several have since become very good friends. To be honest it seems wierd now to refer to former SP officers as "them." I do not think like that. I tell you, as many of you have said above, they have a ton of knowledge regarding SSP duties, investigations, processing crime scenes, etc. I think a former SP officer would be a good addition to any office. I now that the bike patrol guys at the Capitol back in the day were primarily former SP and they worked their tails off! Now that said, they did have their share of total boneheads - but so did we so we cannot hold that against them as so many narrow-minded traditionalists did. In OCAPS, we even had fist fights over the whole thing. Some of them too though had a hard time with the merger and resented any Chippie because of it. So yes, we went through our bumps in the road, but as with any change, if we just step back and maintain the proper attitude and don't sweat the small stuff, it will work itself out in the end. I think it all fine now and has been for years.

[snowdog]

What is your opinions of the quality of the officers that moved over to the CHP after the merger with the State Police?

The same opinion of some of the Officers I work with whether they are former State Police or have always been CHP. Some are knuckleheads and some are real squared away. You're not trying to stir things up here, are you?

[Shon29]

Not at all. Just being realistic.

[PapaBear]

Not at all. Just being realistic.

Realistic is the fact that the merger should have been done back in 1929 when the CHP was established. Having two state law enforcement agencies with overlapping responsibilities was rediculous and costly to the taxpayers. Many CSP officers - in the early days - were aspiring to become CHP officers and for some reason were not able to do so.

Now that the merger has taken place and some ten years have passed, it has become obvious that the correct task was finally accomplished and a great number of good people were merged into a great family. Time to realign the mindset and work as a team - not as us Vs. them.

We are family!!!!!

[BoySergeant]

We are family!!!!!

Papa, please tell me you're not going to break into song and dance! :biggrin:

By the way, great picture!

[Chippysgt]

Boy Sarge, be careful, Papa is a former MC jockey and you know all those guys are closet Village People.............................:badgrin:

[PapaBear]

Boy Sarge, be careful, Papa is a former MC jockey and you know all those guys are closet Village People.............................:badgrin:


:lol: Also used to be assigned to Protective Services - Executive Protection. We is wild and crazy guys. :surprised:

[CRW]

Take the good with the bad. The best sgt I have had was prior state police. The guy is a leader and people wanted to work for the him. My time with the CHP is short (4 yrs) compared to most of you guys but I spent 9 years in the navy. While my CHP time is short I believe my "other" experiences qualify me to say who can lead and who cannot. Hands down he blows away every other sgt I've worked with who started with the CHP and the other state police who have made sgt. Everybody has their own experiences with the different people they work with. There are 10000 ID numbers in our office who work harder trying to get out of work than they do at work. Obviously they started with the CHP based on their badges. There are 17000 IDs that couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel. I don't want to work with either and they had the "same" training, I suppose, at the CHP proving grounds as I did. I have seen the PMA follies :redface: and wonder how these guys/gals don't get hurt. I don't want my life depending on these knuckleheads making the right decision but you can't really choose your backup. That's my two cents.

[frwycop]

So where is the thread and replies about the prior State Police?
Did the whole post got deleted my the Moderators?
I posted my personal opinion about CHP officers that were prior State Police and somehow the thread got deleted. Hmmmmm\:noidea:

This is the classical CHP mentality and how to take care of things.
Pretend that nothing ever hapened ,that way we'll still look good.:tape:
And if you still don't get it, this is it, CHP is all about image.
What good is this forum if you can't post your opinions? I never used foul language or named anybody or said something that wasn't truth.
We all know it and its happening but no one has said anything about the subject. :hitwall:

what about this diclaimer? ----->THIS PAGE CONTAINS PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AND OPINIONS OF THE AUTHOR. IT DOES NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS, NOR REPRESENT AN
OFFICIAL POSITION, OF THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL. FURTHER, THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL DOES NOT ENDORSE OR APPROVE
OF THE CONTENT OF, NOR IS IT IN ANY MANNER AFFILIATED WITH OR RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THIS WEB SITE.

But still, if a coment is made that doesn't satisfy Mods, it gets deleted.

Don't get me wrong, I love the CHP, I rather lay down my life than swerve from the path of duty, but the comments that I made are MY personal opinion !!
CHP has been good to me, thats the profession I decided to pursue while in the MARINES, and I have no regrets whatsoever. Pay is great and all the boondogles are excellent, but when it comes to answer up on a subject that I strongly believe in, has gained me some unhappy Sgts. and Lts.

To all Moderators., I know its your web Page, I know you are or were CHP officers at some point and you care about the Department but come on, what good is this if we can't speak our minds? or everything in here has to be rosy??

[dw]

To all Moderators., I know its your web Page, I know you are or were CHP officers at some point and you care about the Department but come on, what good is this if we can't speak our minds? or everything in here has to be rosy??If you are in fact an officer, I would be glad to provide you access to the confidential sections where you can express whatever you would like -- we do it all the time in there. As for the public sections, I think most of us would agree it is not tactically sound to discuss our opinions and concerns when it comes to officer safety/PMA, etc... Further, not everything has to be rosy, but we will not tolerate "bad mouthing" a specific group -- and some of the comments bad mouthed prior SP. Expressing an opinion is one thing, but lumping every single person who was absorbed into the same category is not realistic or fair.

I'd be happy to discuss this with you further by PM... (Which I usually respond to faster than threads).

[PapaBear]

So where is the thread and replies about the prior State Police?
Did the whole post got deleted my the Moderators?
I posted my personal opinion about CHP officers that were prior State Police and somehow the thread got deleted. Hmmmmm\:noidea:

This does not show that you ever posted another comment to this thread and I am certain that if it were deleted by a moderator, there would still be a residule connect that showed it was deleted.:noidea:

http://www.chpforums.com/forum/search.php?searchid=15793

You really need to re-evaluate your comments and review them for spelling errors. Temper your approach and no negative comments will be forthcoming from others.:smile:

[dw]

This does not show that you ever posted another comment to this thread and I am certain that if it were deleted by a moderator, there would still be a residule connect that showed it was deleted.:noidea: No, I definitely deleted a couple posts... :cool:

[Smokey Bear]

Fwycop is right though.

DW, you grant the ability of Officers to register for the "chippies only" forum. But do you guarantee the privacy of those Officers' identities? Not to the public, but to the Department? Before I give you my I.D. number and what office I work at (yes, I am a CHP Officer), maybe I should ask you a question... Who are you? Are you an Officer, a Sergeant, or maybe even my Commander's classmate? It would be really stupid for me to express my opinion about the Department to someone who could just call up my Commander or Division Chief and tell them about how I didn't sing the company song or dance the dance.

Censorship of someone's comments against the CHP just because they're derogative is unfair. Ladies and Gentlemen, contrary to popular belief on this forum, the California Highway Patrol is NOT the world's greatest department. It has serious problems, and for lack of a better term, is completely jacked up. Officers on this board are going to speak out and say negative things about the agency, such as the State Police guys. Officers like me who don't want to give up the protection of anonymity that not joining the "Chippies only" forum offers. Not to mention the fact that scores of prosepective Cadets seem to treat this board as gospel, so why sugar coat things for them?

[chp36]

Smokeybear,

No one here has ever tried to insinuate the CHP is perfect. Wether or not you are truely an officer, for you say the department is "all jacked up" could not be further from the truth. You obviously have not worked for other government agencies or have had some bad experiences. While no employee agrees with all of their employers views and opinions, I have never heard an officer who has kept his nose clean say the department is all jacked up. Obviously there is something not so jacked up keeping you here.

[Smokey Bear]

Smokeybear,

No one here has ever tried to insinuate the CHP is perfect. Wether or not you are truely an officer, for you say the department is "all jacked up" could not be further from the truth. You obviously have not worked for other government agencies or have had some bad experiences. While no employee agrees with all of their employers views and opinions, I have never heard an officer who has kept his nose clean say the department is all jacked up. Obviously there is something not so jacked up keeping you here.

Actually, I have worked for a government agency for most of my adult life. This would include serving in combat operations with the U.S. Marine Corps during the conflict in the months after 9/11. I separated with an honorable discharge, a very respectable rank, and quite a stack of meritorious awards and commendations. I've never had so much as a negative 100 form comment or censurable form 2 in my service with the CHP thus far. I don't call in sick for the sake of getting the day off, and I don't get complaints. As far as keeping my nose clean, it think I've got that covered.

I see nothing wrong with CHP as the institution that it is, and that's why I'm still with the Department, because I get to help people and be someone the public can count on to do the right thing. It's the management and administration of this agency which I see as "all jacked up". The higher echelon of the Department has abolutely no connection with the troops on the road. I see too much leadership as being, "Do as I say, not as I do." I'm not going to get into my views on the Department's problems. I simply don't think it's right for the host and moderators of this forum to censor an Officer's comments about the CHP on an open forum if they are seen as negative. Nor do I think an officer should have to expose his full departmental identity in order to express his or her views without censorship. Prospective Cadets reading this forum need to be allowed to see both sides of the story, so they can know what to really expect from this job. Officers' views on various subjects can be of great value to prospective cadets, whether they be positive or negative.

[BoySergeant]

No, I definitely deleted a couple posts... :cool:

It's dw's site and he can do what he wants. dw and the other moderators do a great job. Smokeybear and frwycop: It truly doesn't sound like you have read the forum rules. dw wants things a certain way and he makes the call. End of story. You don't have to post or read any comments on this site if you don't want to. There are much more liberties granted in the CHP only section. Here is an excerpt of the forum rules:

This is a professional website and we strive to keep it that way. Anything less will not be tolerated. Thus, members need to conduct themselves accordingly and the owners of CHPForums reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason.

Please adhere to the following rules. (You did, after all, agree to them when you signed up!) Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

A. MEMBER CONDUCT

1. Professional Conduct is Expected
Degrading posts and name-calling are not permitted. Therefore, do not post comments that attack other members, moderators or administrative personnel. This message board is intended for a free exchange of information and ideas. Keep this in mind if someone disagrees with your point of view and be sure to extend courtesy to others if you disagree with them. Disagreement often leads to informative, lively, and meaningful discussion of the issues. Try not to take it personally. If you feel that someone has crossed the line, either reply in a respectful manner, or send them a Private Message (PM), or report the post to a moderator.

2. Agency Bashing
Excessive negativity towards any particular agency will not be tolerated. This is not to say that negative comments about agencies are not allowed. If you have something negative to say about an agency, however, please find an objective way to do so. Nonetheless, if you post negative comments, be sure to explain exactly what you don’t like and the basis for your opinion. If you are uncertain as to whether your comments will cross the line, feel free to contact a moderator to discuss your intentions beforehand.

3. Anti-Law Enforcement Posts
Any blatant anti-law enforcement posts may be deleted. Members creating such posts are subject to permanent ban.

4. Content
Members are required to use common sense and good judgment when posting messages. Do not post speculation as fact. Members of the general public shall defer to those involved with law enforcement in response to specific questions.

l

[HWY Ranger2B]

I have followed this thread with interest, since March, never thinking I had any “right” or “say” in this matter, being that I am just an applicant. However, since reading the posts by frwy and smokey, I finally had to say something. I know nothing about how the hierarchy of CHP is actually run, but from what I have read and heard on ride-alongs (in this state, and another state’s HP) it seems to me that they probably have issues. That being said, what government agency doesn’t have issues? Indeed, how many major corporations seem to forget the “little man” working for them and create a dis-connect somewhere along the way?

My opinion on this matter is that when you have a problem with something, then you have 2 choices: you ignore it, or you do something about it. The first choice is the simplest choice, and hardest to follow thru with. The second choice may create enemies along the way, but at least you feel like you did something about it; and don’t let a problem become a major issue in your mind and heart. It seems to me then, that the best way to solve your problem with the CHP, would be to do your best to promote and be a part in changing how the CHP is run. Take the problem by the horns and wrestle it down.

I’ve always hated the politics that get involved with jobs, especially if you have a very unworthy boss (fortunately, mine have always been great). But, this is the name of the game, and everyone who applies for a job with CHP or anyone else, should do their part in trying to make their workplace better. Although frwy and smokey may sound negative, they may just be trying to do their part in influencing the minds of others who could make a difference.

DW, thanks for keeping this thread alive. I think it is good that applicants see the CHP as a whole, thus preparing themselves to deal with the real life issues of their job and the politics that are inevitable.

[Stargrl]

I simply don't think it's right for the host and moderators of this forum to censor an Officer's comments about the CHP on an open forum if they are seen as negative. Nor do I think an officer should have to expose his full departmental identity in order to express his or her views without censorship. Prospective Cadets reading this forum need to be allowed to see both sides of the story, so they can know what to really expect from this job. Officers' views on various subjects can be of great value to prospective cadets, whether they be positive or negative.

The fabulous thing about the internet is you can post whatever you want on your own site. Maybe you should open an account with a blog site and then you could freely pontificate about your opinion of the downsides of CHP management. Like Boysergeant said, this is DW's site, and he gets to make and enforce the rules. You can't take advantage of the fact that this is a popular forum and therefore will ensure a larger audience for your opinions without being willing to cooperate with the forum rules. It is a privilege to post here, and you don't have the right to demand that what you post be maintained on the forum; as I mentioned earlier, the only place you can guarantee your own rights to rant are on your own site, where you pay for your own domain. Private messaging is also a good option for diatribes that aren't good for open forum, if as you say you don't want to express yourself to your fellow officers, but rather to the non-uniformed public.

[dw]

:rolleyes:

Why does this s*** always happen when I'm on vacation?
The Internet is not a democracy.
No one makes you read this.
Maybe this is typical CHP. Who cares?
The CHP is not the greatest thing since sliced bread. It is a good career for many people and an asset to the citizens of California.
Like any population of 10,000 we have great people, turds, and many in between. We have people who work hard and some who are lazy. There are a lot of people I disagree with and respect very much -- there are some who I agree with and wish would go away.
For the most part, for a State law enforcement agency of volume, we do things the "right way," "by the book," and are interested in promoting the better good of all. Not everyone (myself included) always likes the way things are done or having to following the rules. Oh well, it's a job. A very good job in my opinion.
I think anyone associated with the department who ran a web site and did not censor comments that could jeopardize officer safety or were without merit would be providing a disservice. I let a lot of stuff go on this site, but I have limits. Want to post something articulate about the pros and cons of the department, go ahead -- from a recruiting perspective this job is definitely not for everyone. Want to bad mouth a group of people I work with that is not factually correct (i.e. all former State Police guys suck and/or are incompetent) and I'm going to delete the post.
Can I please go back to being on vacation?:closed:

(Oh yeah, and since I run things I get the last word.)