Why the C.H.P.?

[Exp.Lt.]

ok, so everyone here is either a CHP Officer, a Cadet, applicant or someone interested in the department. I know my reasonsfor applying, but I don't really know about others. Why did you choose the CHP? What was is about this department that you like? That made you apply, or work for?

[Chippysgt]

I got out of the service in 1965 and lived in Los Angeles County, home of the Watts Riots. My dad retired from NYPD as did my uncle and I had some cousins on NYPD but I liked California. So it was in my blood. I was working at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach building DC 9s and it was okay but not very exciting (keyword). The CHP was hiring 1000 officers in 1966 to double the number of officers and try to bring down the fatal accidents on I 5 from the LA City Limits to the Orange County line. They called it Blood Alley. The program was called Operation 500 as I recall. I tested for LAPD and the CHP. I ended up passing both application processes and I had to make a choice. The CHP had an undeniable mystic, the uniforms were cool, they were all tall and tough looking guys, the cars were fast, there was mobility in assignments around the state and the pay was about the same, about $600 a month. I decided on the CHP and reported to Meadowview Rd in Sacramento on Nov 7, 1966 and after 16 weeks I was issued badge number 5049. I ended up in Norwalk as my first assignment. The office was on Firestone Blvd, close to where Target is now. I broke in on I 5 working beats 83-500, 501 and 502 on I 5 clear up to East LA. God help you if you were caught off your beat.
I ended up having a great time and a fabulous career and retired in Merced in 1994.

There is and was a tremendous amount of pride in being a CHP officer and a member of the finest traffic law enforcement agency in the world.

[dw]

For me, a lot of my motivation was listening to stories similar to what Chippysgt just told. I'm still motivated by his post and take it to heart. After a few ride alongs and talking to guys out of a senior office, I was sold. I never considered any other law enforcement agency due to the lack of opportunity and flexibility. The fact that we truly care about doing the right thing and our professional reputation means something to me. It was discussed before, but the comradiere of going through the same Academy is indescribable. Although Chippysgt and I went through Academies in different physical locations, I'm sure we could share stories all night over our similar experiences. One of the officers who recruited/mentored me once said that you can be on vacation and run into a Chippie at a gas station and share stories for an hour -- which is absolutely true. I've only been on about six years, but I look forward to a long career and early retirement!

[pupdog]

I had been a gymnastics coach for way too long. I left that, and decided to pursue being a police officer. I just wanted to be a cop; I really wasn't too picky as to where. I was starting my AJ degree & applying to a couple departments. I had a few days off between semesters, so my boyfriend & I headed for the wilderness. Great trip. Miles from any car, road, building, etc for days on end. On the drive home, we checked our cell phone messages, and we've both got a call from my mom saying to phone her ASAP. The message was a few days old. When I phoned her, she told me that Erin Kinkel, who had been on my gymnastics team, had been killed in a car accident while we were away. One day you're backpacking, the next day, you're at a kids funeral. I knew her family very well. I'd coached her sisters too, even taught her mom cartwheels. They'd stood by during some pretty tough times at the gym. And she was gone.
About 2 weeks later, a CHP recruiter came to school to give us AJ students the recruitment talk. What he had to say struck deep. Deep as the ocean.
Erin's death left a path of destruction a mile wide. For example, 2 days after she died, her 6 year old sister was so distraught that she undid her seatbelt, opened the car door, and attempted to throw herself out of a moving car because she wanted to be with Erin so bad. Her 12 year old sister hardly talks. Her 4 year old sister will grow up not remembering Erin. The trial took an enormous emotional toll on her parents & grandparents.
I know I can't save everyone, but on CHP ride-alongs (WAY more exciting than any other departments!), it feels good to pull someone over. They aern't hurting any innocent people when they're signing a ticket. It felt good to be there helping that couple change a tire, because it was dangerous for them to be stopped on the highway. It felt good to offer the lady from that crash some water to wipe her brow. The professionalism of the CHP officers was far above what I'd seen on other ride-alongs (and I made sure their Captain knew this). The word "camraderie" doesn't adequately describe the CHP FAMILY. The more I look at CHP, the more I discover way that it's so 'me.'
When the recruiter spoke that day, I realized that we don't all deal with a DV victim every day. We don't all encounter gangs or narcotics every day. But no matter where we go, even if it's deep in the wilderness, the people we care about are in or around cars. To me, this is hands down the noblest area of law enforcement.

Erin's parents have started a scholarship in her memory, funded by selling ble Livestrong-style bracelets that say *DRIVE RESPONSIBLY* E.K.*

[makakona]

hey, sawbones, i'm just carryin' on an old family tradition.

he had never heard a chp officer come home after a day of work and say, "man, i just HATE my job." the benefits were comparable to what we were used to. it kept us in california, close to family. we were willing to sacrifice better pay doing what he was trained to do for what really matters in a career: job satisfaction.

[Your Mentor]

Here, here. I just put on 200 miles in beautiful farm country, wrote a few citations, gave directions, had breakfast with a rancher friend of mine, breathed crisp clean air all day, and came upon a newly born calf less than fifteen feet from the shoulder. Steam was coming off it and its mom was licking it clean (had I covered that stretch of road only a few minutes earlier I'd have witnessed its birth. Got some great photos though). Had I chosen another agency, I'd have been stuck within the confines of one county or city. Instead, I've managed to work solo in Death Valley National Park, work the road up and down Owen's Valley, teach in Sacramento, and now patrol the farm and ranch roads of the Lower Klamath Basin. Who needs smog, constant DV calls, or being surrounded by vice. Oh yeh, and a marvelously comforting fire is roaring away in front of me right now.

I spent nine years in the Coast Guard. The CHP is so similar it's amazing. It's the same focus but not on the water. I grew up in San Juan Capistrano/Dana Point and wanted to get out of the service. A CHP officer came to the base I was at for a pre-holiday safety presentation and mentioned he was the office's recruiter as well. I drove over to the office the very next day and signed up for the written. Six months later I was in the Academy. One of my classmates, the only other Coast Guardsman in our class, is a sergeant at a neighboring Resident Post. How's that for cool? We hadn't seen each other in over 17 years and instantly it was like we were fellow cadets at the Academy again. The friends I've made on the CHP are for life. I still talk to my first graveyard partner about every other week. I talk to at least two dozen CHP friends throughout the state every week, week after week, month after month, year after year. And then there's this forum. This forum alone should be proof enough of the bond among us.

[rich]

After talking to many officers, going on a ride along, and witnessing everyones professionalism both in the field and on this forum, the question should be
Why not the CHP?

[4CHP]

And then there's this forum. This forum alone should be proof enough of the bond among us.

That's exactly what I was thinking...well said!

[Tav]

I have just started the process but I wanted to share my reasons.

I have spent 11.5 yrs on active duty with the Coast Guard, and I have worked with some incredible people. But boredom does set in, as well as moving every 2 yrs, and having your hands tied in everything you do.

At my last unit I had a reservist who was the defenition of squared away. He was hard working, dedicated, and supportive of all his shipmates the semi perfect crewman. I ended up being fortunate enough to have him as one of my boat crewman for a couple of months and I got to know him pretty well. In his other life he is a CHP officer, and he took a ton of ribbing.(all the Ponch/John/Dispatcher/Farvra jokes you can think of..) for his job. But he smiled and laughed and never let anything bother him. So one night on the boat during a long 8hr security patrol I started asking him about the job. He talked for almost 7hrs straight about his job, and how much he loved it. Telling me about doing patrol, and accident investigation. He just talked and talked and talked. He told me I should think about applying, but at the time I was thinking the Coast Guard was enough of a career for me.

So fast forward two years. I transferred again, ended up in a place where I am standing 360-405hrs of duty per month. I never see my wife, I never see my son, and I have Zero job fulfillment. So I started thinking about what my friend had said. So I give him a call to talk about the CHP, and we ended up talking for a couple of hours. He told me everything again, and the more I listened the more I realized that this is what I was looking for. A job where I have contact with people, help people, and truly make a difference in peoples lives. On top of doing all those things, I would be working with a group of dedicated individuals, people who have a like mentality. People who want to make a difference. I think it comes out to a win/win situation.

I know this was pretty long but I wanted to share what motivated me to apply. I look forward to the rest of this process, and when my enlistment ends I will be entering the CHP Academy. I can't wait for that day.