California Highway Patrol
| California Highway Patrol | |
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| Abbreviation | CHP |
CHP Patch
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CHP Door Shield
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CHP Badge
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CHP Logo
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| Motto | Safety, Service, and Security |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | August 14, 1929 |
| Employees | 10,551 (as of 2014) |
| Annual budget | $2 billion (as of 2014) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of California, U.S. |
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| Map of California Highway Patrol's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2) |
| Population | 38,802,500 (2014 est.) |
| Legal jurisdiction | As per operations jurisdiction. |
| Governing body | California State Legislature |
| Constituting instrument | Senate Bill 869 |
| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdiction | Highways, roads, and-or traffic. |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Sacramento, California |
| Officers | 7,275 (as of 2014) |
| Civilians | 3,276 (as of 2014) |
| Commissioner responsible | Joseph Farrow |
| Parent agency | California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) |
| Facilities | |
| Commands | 8 Field Divisions 16 Commercial Enforcement Facilities 103 Area Offices |
| Patrol cars | Ford Explorer- based Police Interceptor Utility Vehicle |
| Patrol cars | Dodge Charger- Police |
| Planes | Cessna 206 |
| Website | |
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http://www.chp.ca.gov http://www.chpcareers.com |
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| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and can also act as the state police.
The California State Legislature established the California Highway Patrol as a branch of the Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Public Works, with legislation signed by Governor C. C. Young on August 14, 1929. It was reestablished as a separate department by Governor Earl Warren in 1947. The CHP gradually assumed increased responsibility beyond the enforcement of the State Vehicle Act and eventually merged with the smaller California State Police in 1995. It is currently organized as part of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA).
In addition to its highway patrol duties, the CHP also provides other services including protecting state buildings and facilities (most notably the California State Capitol) and bodyguarding state officials. The CHP also works with municipal law enforcement agencies, providing assistance in investigations, patrol, and other aspects of law enforcement.
The California Highway Patrol is the largest state police agency in the United States, with more than 10,500 employees, 7,200 of whom are sworn officers, according to FBI data.
The agency has specific jurisdiction over all California state routes (including all freeways and expressways), U.S. Highways, Interstate Highways, and all public roads in unincorporated and incorporated parts of a county. Local police or the local sheriff's department having a contract with an incorporated city are primarily responsible for investigating and enforcing traffic laws in incorporated cities, but the CHP can still enforce traffic laws on any public road anywhere in the state. While the agency's primary mission is related to transportation, it also possesses full law enforcement authority and can enforce any state law anywhere in the state. Furthermore, CHP officers act as bailiffs for the California Supreme Court and California Court of Appeal, as well as security at State of California buildings.
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Wikipedia