California Highway Patrol – Santa Cruz Office

I have had good experiences with police in the past, I have heard about negative ones. This particular time in Santa Cruz County was bad. Officer Sam Courtney pulled me over for «talking on my cell phone» I was actually holding a cold can of beer to my swollen jaw/​neck as I was on my way to the doctor for shots. (I was going to drink the beer before I went in for courage/​pain relief) My cell phone was not visible in the car, until I undid my seat belt to get my purse from the passenger seat. He watched me unzip the bag, pull out my wallet from the top, and then dig under to pull out my cell phone, which I then showed him. He gave me a ticket anyway, and then later told the court, I was «belligerent» for getting mad, that he gave me a ticket when he made a mistake. Bad form Sam, bad form
If you make a mistake, be man enough to admit it

CHP Officer Rodriguez 20 019,
pulled me over for what seemed to be no apparent reason. He cited me two fix-​it tickets; no front license plate that had recently fallen off and having a cover over my back license plate which he claimed was «obstructing» the view.
He was rude and not understanding at all. Firstly, the license plate on the back of my car was CLEARLY VISIBLE with the protective cover. Secondly, how many other people do you see driving without a front license plate drilled in? Are you giving all those people tickets too?
This officer was clearly on his high horse looking to give out a ticket for any reason he could find. I frown upon officers like Mr. Rodriguez, but I know there are two sides to the spectrum, so cheers to the authorities that actually have compassion for their peers. After all, at the end of the day, everyone is passing out win or lose.

I had to give a shout out to the CHP! My son was involved in a car accident on Hwy 17 on a rainy Halloween night. Officer Murphy showed up within minutes of getting the call. He was very compassionate towards my son and kind. He said to him «get in your car and put your seat belt on, if another car comes around that corner I want them to hit me not you»
To serve and protect-​Exactly!

Eeeew, I’m streaming‼ OK… calming down; finding center. Let’s make this review free of invective. Here goes:
The CHP’s mission statement says they exist to provide «safety, service & security». Their day-​to-​day operations make them seem more like an extortion racket though. They lie in wait trying to catch any slip-​ups made by hapless commuters. When traffic is low they patrol the park & rides where they can reliably tally up violations. The CHP is not a service; it’s a pestilence.
«That’s harsh, why are the CHP a pestilence?» you ask. The Highway patrol acts like a virus strain that gradually drains the life out of well-​meaning, but naïve, host organism. Case in point: One would think the CHP would be policing the park & rides for criminals who break into cars while their owners are at work. Instead though, The Patrol prey on the vehicle owners, inspecting cars, motorcycles and RVs for any hint of vehicular transgression. Parking 18″ from the road: you’re busted. Leaving your vehicle overnight: busted. In some cases, sloppy parking will get your vehicle towed, leaving you stranded in a no-man’s land when you return to the car park expecting to find your ride.
It’s particularly insidious at these park & rides where the people who drop-​off vehicles in the morning do so because they are carpooling or catching a bus to work. Those people on busses get back to the park and ride, usually some outpost with nothing on either side but freeway, and find their vehicle missing. These people are now vulnerable, stranded alone with no way home. The authorities could call you after they tow you of course, because your license plate leads to DMV records which have your phone number. But they don’t. That’s just what you get.
Many people go through the efforts to carpool for environmental reasons. Being placed into jeopardy by the very patrolmen who are supposed to be protecting them causes them to loose faith in the system, driving their gas guzzler into work. This highway patrol scrutiny is a powerful disincentive, often overpowering liberal guilt. CHP does a disservice here by alienating people to the very process that might allow them to lessen their carbon footprint.
As other helpful Unilocalers have pointed out: the patrol is out in force at morning commute. Santa Cruz CHP hide in coves waiting as cars pass on 17 downhill. These drivers are at a disadvantage due to gravity. Camping out under cover waiting for an easy bust is like entrapment. It’s not even sportsmanlike.
This review isn’t going to be all negativity though. There is one tool the common driver can use to protect themselves. I’ve included a few snappy-​snaps of the interface for anyone who hasn’t used it yet. What’s this trick some of us have up our sleeve? Waze is an iPhone/​Android app that crowd-​sources reports of the CHP’s whereabouts. We can report these IGUANA-​FACED, AUSTRALIAN HAMPSTERS and help keep their kills low. (agh, invective slipping through, dial it back girl.)
Here’s the point: run the app whether you need the GPS features or not. It’s a modern day radar detector and by many counts, it’s better. The only problem is that there’s nothing stopping those highway patrol from running their own copy of Waze and clicking ‘Not There’ as soon as they see their presence reported. Crafty. Very crafty.
In summary: use Waze, obey the law, and
Keep vigilent.
[responsible replies to my criticisms are encouraged]

My daughter and I were driving on Highway 1 North coming up on State Park drive last week.
Out of nowhere my car locked up on me, forcing me to the right hand side of the road but not getting us totally off the road. We were on a blind turn, in the dark (7 – 8 pm at night) and being my car was totally dead I instantly realized we were out of gas, in a dangerous spot and needed to get out of there! No joke, I looked straight at my baby girl and said, Sweetheart, grab your sweater and hold my hand. We ran down the side of the freeway out of the danger spot. The highway patrol came quickly after calling 9−1−1. They picked us up at Safeway in Aptos and drove us back to our car. They kept my daughter in the cruiser, keeping her safe while the other officer pushed us down the highway.
Cars honking and flashing lights, and it was a bit of excitement I could have done without but the officers were absolutely incredible. They pushed us all the way to the gas pump, then spoke to the attendant and made it all go sooo smoothly. I admitted I was scared when I realized how bad it could have been with my daughter there. But they calmed me right down and had my daughter laughing and totally relaxed. What could have been the worst accident turned into a peaceful and enjoyable experience.
My daughter was thrilled to chat about how she got to ride in a police cruiser. She had never been in a police car and loved getting to be front row to the nice officer who kept her at ease. Knowing her mother was getting into a car sitting on a blind turn and anything could happen. I can not thank these officers enough. I tried to give them a hug but the one refused so I stopped there. But they are still angels and I wish I could thank them individually but I can not remember there names.
So, with that… THANK YOU!

bizarre that this organization, funded by tax dollars, receives such good ratings by the very people they hassle everyday. It’s known as Stockholm syndrome. The wording to «serve & protect» needs to be replaced with to «hassle & shakedown». CHP officers, now among the highest paid public servants in the entire country, with mind boggling early retirement packages, have basically become tax collectors. Most of my encounters have been with surly rude arrogant people. (with the definite exclusion of a few). Here in Felton, we’ve become like a defacto police state, 24 hr patrols waiting to write as many tickets as they possibly can regardless of how trivial the «crime». Just today the traffic lights are out, turning the junction into a 4 way stop and creating a traffic nightmare. You think one of them would pull over and direct traffic? According to their office, it’s a discretionary decision for the officer. I guess directing traffic doesn’t generate any tickets? maybe beneath them?

Last night my teenage son was brought home (delivered) to the house by the CHP @ 1:30 am. He and four other kids were out driving around in Watsonville and had a 12-​pack with them. They got pulled over because the driver was driving without his headlights turned on, figuratively and literally. The kids were supposed to stay on the property but obviously that wasn’t a priority. The officers were courteous and professional about the whole debacle and possibly saved the kids from injury or worse death. How many times have we seen this equation (Automobile+Teenagers+Alcohol=Death)? THANK YOU CHP!!!

5 stars to the public servants of California Highway Patrol! Brice from the
Aptos office helped me out with a my car. Thank you Brice XXXX (his last name was
not part of what I could remember). This man went above and beyond the call of duty and even helped me put gas in my car. I was a nervous nelly type person, so I he was very helpful! If the CHP ever needs me to write a letter to the Governor, or some other decision maker let me know. — I will make some other contact that is less public. Thank you Brice!

I understand the majority of people dislike their interaction with CHP — But i had to Unilocal this. I got pulled over this week on Hwy 1. (Yes, I’m being vague) I was speeding — under 75. Officer asked for the usual — I politely responded with my information.
When I got pulled over I was on my way to somewhere i should not have been going, I was sad and going against what i believed in. I was crying. I was not crying when the officer pulled me over. Long story short, this officer let me go.
It was important that I Unilocal this because most people don’t have the most pleasant experience receiving a ticket — but they do have hearts. I was not rude, he was doing his job.
Thank you CHP for the job you do for us, its really to keep us all safe and that day the officer slowed me down and actually stopped me from doing something really stupid.

I had to call regarding a trafic issue; the receptionist didn’t have much information but she got an officer on the phone for me. I didn’t have to wait long at all, and the officer was super nice. He gave me all the info on the issue that he had avaialbe and from his knowledge of going to court.
I really didn’t expect that kind of experience — especially with how my day’s been going!

Three stars
1) When I got into an accident the CHP officer was issuing a ticket. Long story short, he was very curt, did not allow me to get all the other drivers’ information and did not provide me with his badge number or a card when I asked for it.
2) The CHP officer when I went to see if my accident report was written was super friendly. He did not charge me for the copy of the report and made sure that I was taken care of, going out of his way.
Ultimately they are just doing their jobs, and compared to other law enforcement I have encountered here in the Central Coast, these guys have been the most professional and less like the stereotypical dicks… but then again I am not a deviant punk who is driving a stolen car.