| California Highway Patrol | |
|---|---|
 Patch | |
 Door shield | |
 Badge | |
 Flag | |
| Abbreviation | CHP |
| Motto | Safety, Service, and Security |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | August 14, 1929 |
| Employees | 10,000+ (as of 2023)[1] |
| Annual budget | $3.2 billion (as of 2023)[2] |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | California, U.S. |
 | |
| Map of California Highway Patrol's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2) |
| Population | 39,613,500 (2019 est.)[3] |
| Legal jurisdiction |  Statewide |
| Governing body | California State Legislature |
| Constituting instrument |
|
| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdiction |
|
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Sacramento, California, United States |
| Sworn members | 6,406 (authorized, as of 2023) 5,444 sworn as of December 2023 [4] |
| Civilian members | 3,000+ (as of 2023)[1] |
| Commissioner responsible |
|
| Parent agency | California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) |
| Divisions | 8 |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 16 Commercial Enforcement Facilities 103 Area Offices |
| Actual patrol cars |
|
| Motorcycles | Harley Davidson Electra Glide |
| Planes | |
| Helicopters | Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil |
| Website | |
| chp | |
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcement powers anywhere within the state. The California Highway Patrol can assist local and county agencies and can patrol major city streets along with local and county law enforcement, state and interstate highways, and is the primary law enforcement agency in rural parts of the state.
The California State Legislature originally 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 subsequently established as a separate department with legislation signed 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.[5] 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 guarding state officials. The CHP also works with municipal and federal 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 11,000 employees, over 7,600 of whom are sworn officers, according to a study in December 2019.
The CHP gained international recognition in the late 1970s to the early 1980s through the broadcast of the TV series CHiPs, which chronicled the adventures of two fictional CHP motorcycle officers.
- ^ a b "Table 76". FBI. September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Proposed Fund Shift for CHP and DMV Capital Projects". Legislative Analyst's Office. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "California: Population estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "History of CHP; the CHP-CSP Merger". Archived from the original on May 28, 2010.