CHP MEMORIES

Back in the 1970's, the worst fear of flying in a commercial aircraft, was that you might end up in Cuba, or some other unintended destination.  Skyjacking was not uncommon, and it seemed like stories of hijacked aircraft were often in the news headlines.  In those days, the thought of a hijacker(s) flying an aircraft into a building, wasn't even on the radar screen. 

When I transferred from the L.A. area to Santa Cruz in 1973, I still had several pending court cases that had not been adjudicated.  Most of those potential court trials were either traffic tickets, or D.U.I. cases.  However, there were a few felony arrests, such as a couple of auto thefts, and a few drug busts, where the possibility of a jury trial was still on the table.  In order to save time, and costs, the minor infractions such as speeding tickets were simply dismissed, and the person taking his traffic ticket to court got a free pass.  The more serious cases required a personal court appearance by the officer, and travel of any distance within the state was often by commercial airline.

The CHP never had a mandatory policy that required an officer to be armed while off duty, or on duty in civilian clothes.  Some departments required their officers to be armed at all times.   Even though it was discretionary, most of us carried a small revolver while on duty in civilian clothing, particularly when court appearances were necessary.

The first time I had to fly back to L.A. for a court appearance, it was from the San Jose airport to LAX.  There were several additional trips back to L.A., but this first one was the one I remember most clearly.  We were required to identify ourselves to the airline when we arrived at the airport, and to disclose the fact that we were carrying a firearm.  The airline was Pacific Southwest Airways (PSA), and when I informed the agent at the gate who I was, and the fact that I was armed, I was escorted onto the plane ahead of all the other passengers.  This being my first time for what seemed like VIP treatment, I was feeling a little more important than I probably should have.  When the agent took me into the aircraft, he introduced me to the two pilots, and told them what seat I would be occupying.  I'm guessing the airline had a policy whereby the pilots would have knowledge of any law enforcement personnel on their flight, and where they were seated.  In a way, this was kind of the forerunner to the current system of armed sky marshals.

After taking my seat, the rest of the trip was pretty routine, and I returned to the L.A. area a few more times before transferring to the Los Banos office in 1975.  The last time I had to return to L.A. for a court appearance, was about 4 years after I transferred, and the protocol was pretty much the same. After 9/11, of course everything changed, and it would by my guess that airline, and law enforcement policies are much different today than they were back in the 70's.