CHP MEMORIES

Since starting this "memories" of my CHP career, I've tried, and will try, to keep the postings as chronological as I can. Having said that, I'm sure that something will jog my memory, and I'll go back to a point in time that my stories have already passed.

All of the things I have written about thus far, occurred where I was first assigned out of the Academy, the Baldwin Park Office in Southern California. I touched on the fact that most all assignments are based strictly on seniority, even within an Academy Class. One of the questions I used to frequently get asked was how are CHP Officers able to transfer around the state?
The quick answer is again - based on seniority, but here's the nuts and bolts.

After working the L.A. area for almost 4 years, I had gained a little bit of seniority, and it was time to think about moving the family out of smogville. Back in the early 1970's, there were many days where the air was so thick with pollutants, that the eyes would burn, and the pollution control district would issue warnings to stay inside. I had moved the family from Anaheim, to El Monte after about a year on the job, but that was like going from the smoke into the fire regarding air quality. The San Gabriel Valley was famous for having the worst smog in Southern California.

Almost always, the transfer of Officers around the state was in conjunction with the graduation of an Academy Class. A month or so before the Cadets were to graduate, a cutoff for transfer requests was established, and after the cutoff date, no transfers for that list would be honored. However, it was possible to put in a transfer request, and just sit on it, (sometimes for years), until it came through. Before the cadets graduated, a transfer list would come out, and whatever openings were left, that's where the brand new Officers were assigned. That's why most Cadets, myself included, went to the L.A. area, because it was the least desirable place. Near the cutoff date, an Officer could call Sacramento, and check to see where they would be in terms of seniority for any given office, and if that office had any openings, it was possible to get a better idea of your chances. For example, it didn't do any good to find out that you were #1 for the Fresno Office, if that office didn't have any openings.

In late 1972, I put my transfer in for the Santa Cruz Office, and it came through in early 1973. I was returning to the area where I went to High School, and to say that I was happy to be leaving L.A. was an understatement. While working in Southern California., I had gained an enormous amount of experience, in a relatively short period of time, but the idea of seeing blue sky everyday, suddenly became more of a priority.

I spent the least amount of time (approx. 2 years) in the Santa Cruz Office, of any of the 4 offices I worked. By the time I was able to transfer to the Sonora Office where I retired, the time on the job (seniority) required to get into that office was about 20 years. One of my original attractions to the CHP as a career, was the ability over time, to transfer to a more desirable place to live. The next few installments will be from the mid 70's, when I worked in Santa Cruz County.