CHP / LAPD

[ExplorerSGT]

good luck with the LAPD polygraph,its a killer. I took mine last week and they tried to say ive stolen over 700$ from work?....oh well,they lost a potentially good officer in my opinion.

[Adam]

Hi guys,
I'm interested in a career in Law Enforcement, however I'm not *too* familiar the actual duties (I have a general idea).

My question is -
How does CHP differ from LAPD, for example; what does CHP do that LAPD doesn't do and vice-versa. Also, any other info you guys may provide would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Chippysgt]

Okay, your question is a little naive but since I don't know your age or background I will take it seriously. The two have a lot in common and a lot of difference. These two websites should start to make the picture more clear.



http://www.lapdonline.org/inside_the_lapd/content_basic_view/6561

http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/what_we_do.html

[carcop]

I'll give you my two cents:

First off I have nothing against LAPD, actually think they are a good departmenet desppite any of the bad publicity. Now as for differences, LAPD does "full service" law enforcement. If, within LA city limits, there is a call for a domestic dispute, LAPD responds to it. They respond to all service calls: Barking dog, "trailer wars", theft, fights, Ma hitting Pa, cats in trees all the usuall garbage.

CHP does mainly traffic. We deal with cars and roads. We don't get called to barking dogs and the like. Now keep in mind that this is a generality. All areas are unique in exactly what they do but still focus on the same mission. We are responsible for County Road areas in most offices. So in those areas we may very well respond to house calls or to back a local deputy.

LAPD officers are slave to their radios. If you are on routine patrol, the radio doesn't stop. You will always be in the LA area. The department is huge, and you are just a number, literally. Flip side: You have many opportunities to do different aspects of LE, detective, special units, traffic, and even boats. Decent equipment, and lots of backup when you need it.

CHP has lots of freedom to rome around. We get into all types of "dirt" and make lots of arrests other than just DUI. Our department is large but since it is statewide, some offices only have 20 -30 officers working in them and at times only 4-5 cars on the road. we cover LOTS of ground and huge areas. We have some specialty units and special duties.

Personnally I didn't nor do I now, want to go to Sally Joes' trailer to find out why Bobby Joe beat her. I like to be able to have more control on what I do for the day, besides, I like speed and I get to chase:cool: .

Narrow it down but things YOU like. If your goal in life is to be on the Bomb squad, CHP is not for you.

[dw]

http://www.chpforums.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=421

[Adam]

Great thanks for the helpful info, guys.

[ruda001]

Personnally I didn't nor do I now, want to go to Sally Joes' trailer to find out why Bobby Joe beat her. I like to be able to have more control on what I do for the day, besides, I like speed and I get to chase:cool: .

Narrow it down but things YOU like. If your goal in life is to be on the Bomb squad, CHP is not for you.

:lol: :lol:
I would have to agree on that!

[cacop]

CarCop you hit the nail on the head. I'm a city cop and a "slave" to the radio for sure. I do get to pull traffic if we are slow, but most times your responding to calls.

I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone thinking about going into law enforcement to do ride alongs with CHP, Deputies, and City police. You need to find where you fit the best because they are different.

Every Chippie I have talked to or worked with on scene loves their job. They have alot freedom and do get to dictate their day quit a bit.

I got tired of the domestic violence, theft reports, child custody issues, forgery/fraud cases, etc really quick, it sucks....bad.

I pull traffic as much as I can, I do my own TA's and there is no better feeling then taking a drunk off the road.

I do look forward to taking my law enforcement experience as a city cop to the CHP, as I believe it will be beneficial to my transition.

[SuperTrooper]

I just went on an LAPD ride-along (which is almost impossible to get) a couple of nights ago and I must say that I'm very impressed with the department. The difference between the CHP and the LAPD is like night and day. The CHP's main focus is working traffic enforcement, especially in metropolitan areas, while the LAPD is mostly active in "crime fighting" and general law enforcement duties. Both departments have very different mentalities and a certain "feel" about them. I agree, that for the most part an LAPD officer is a "slave to the radio" on busy days (depending what division and unit they're working in); but I received a warped view on that aspect of the job because I was riding in a supervisor car so we got to hand pick which calls we wanted to respond to. :smile:

The station I was at is pretty nice, and all the newer patrol cars in the fleet are top notch with ballistic door panels, LED light bars, brand new computer systems, plexi glass cages, plastic rear seats, and other neat equipment. In the beginning of the shift we responded to an "officers needs assistance" call and it was great to see everyone in action. Our unit rolled code 3 and within 5 minutes there were 40+ officers on scene from various assignments (patrol, anti-gang, detectives, etc) and a helicopter overhead in orbit with the night-sun on. I toured all the projects in the area, got to see Watts Towers, and the Sergeant I was with even took me to their Communications Division next to Parker Center where the city's 911 call center and police/fire dispatch is located. That facility was also very impressive with various state of the art equipment and very well trained personnel. It was pretty cool to get to meet our dispatcher and getting to see what her job is like, on the other end of the radio for a change.

Throughout the night we responded to a stabbing, gang brawl, domestic violence, a couple of robberies at gunpoint, shots fired, bad traffic collision, and a LowJack hit where we had to go hunt for the vehicle. There were a couple of Chippies looking for the stolen too, but we found the car first in a backyard, thanks to our air support. The one thing I noticed was that we always had a chopper available or already on scene to help search for suspects. I've always wanted to work for the LAPD, but a couple of years ago decided that I would probably enjoy working for the CHP a lot more... but now I'm not so sure. I will probably apply for the LAPD now too and see who hires me first. I toured the LAPD's brand new training complex a few weeks ago where 90% of their cadet academy takes place. It's located just 10 minutes from my house so that's also very tempting. I guess I'll just play things by ear and see what happens.