CHP MEMORIES

The obvious purpose of spending 30 days with an experienced Field Training Officer, was not only to better prepare for the job, but to be evaluated for possible release from a training status. The immediate goal of all new officers, myself included, was to complete the training, and get the go ahead to start working alone.

During my first month on the job, I was exposed to everything from minor "fender benders", to collisions where people were killed. Depriving people of their freedom in the form of a speeding ticket, or an actual physical arrest, was a bit awkward at first. The learning curve was extremely steep, when it came to the practical application of classroom principles that didn't always work in the real world of a Law Enforcement Officer.

There were 6 new Officers that reported to the Baldwin Park Office in that summer of 1969, and I'll never forget the person who greeted us, and began our orientation process. He was a Motor Sergeant, and his name was John Law. I almost felt like I was in a movie, with fictional characters, and made up movie names. When SGT Law introduced us to our Training Officers, the clock started ticking towards the end of training, and a release into the field to work by ourselves. When that day finally came, my last training evaluation recommended that I be allowed to work alone, and I remember the news like it was yesterday. The feeling was probably similar to a pilot in training, who gets the OK to fly solo. I had reached a milestone in my fledgling CHP Career, and when that day came to get in the car by myself, I was on top of the world. I made mistakes like we all did, but one of my strengths was the ability to quickly learn, and not repeat an error or omission.

The Baldwin Park Office had a motor squad of 22 Officers, and from day 1, I knew that was what I eventually wanted to do. Even though I had a wife who was pregnant, and a 2 year old child, I was almost star struck when I watched those guys working the freeways. I had witnessed first hand, what could happen when an Officer crashed his motorcycle, but wasn't deterred from my early desire to ride one. As soon as I was able to apply for motor school at the academy, I put my name at the bottom of the list. During that first year, I watched as my name slowly climbed toward the top, and a potential appointment to the 3 week school at the academy. I made this decision on my own, never mentioning it to my wife, because I knew what the reaction would be. Right or wrong, my logic was to wait until the appointment came, then the discussion would be limited, and I could pursue my dream of riding a CHP Motor. Part of my rationalization process, and the future argument with my wife, was that Motor Officers got hazard pay, and that was extra bucks that we could use. When my name got to the top of the list, and it was any day that I would be told to pack my bags for the Academy, our Captain made the decision to completely do away with the motor squad. I remember my reaction as one of disbelief, and disappointment. The reason given was that there were too many lost time injuries, and in addition to Officer Blomo being killed, Officer Woods was also killed on his motor within the last year. Those 22 Officers with motors were given the choice of keeping them, and transferring to another office in the L.A. area, or giving them up, and staying in the Baldwin Park Office. My choices at that time were similar, either transferring to another office that had a motor squad, or staying in the Baldwin Park Office.

My initial choice was that I was going to transfer, but that never happened. This was all playing out near the end of my first year, and the end of my probationary period. I had learned a lot during the previous months, and had progressed to a certain level of competence. My supervisors apparently thought that my progress was a little better than what I thought. SGT Diaz told me I had passed my years probation, and that he wanted me to become a Training Officer. My first reaction was one of slight shock, but I remember feeling pretty good that I had progressed faster than I even thought was possible. I was in an office of over 100 Officers, and I had just been asked to accept the additional job of training new academy graduates, and I was on cloud nine! I knew that in addition to continuing my own on the job education, I was about to take on the responsibility of teaching new Officers many of the things that I had just learned myself. To be recognized by my supervisor as having the potential to be a Training Officer was a definite highlight of my young career. It wasn't very long before I was back in the patrol car with a passenger as a trainee, still in a learning mode myself.