CHP Central Division

Central Division

Central Division encompasses the heart of the San Joaquin Valley and serves as the gateway to two spectacular national parks, Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon. The valley is the world's richest agricultural area, and the CHP's traffic enforcement responsibilities reflect agriculture's impact.

The Division created the El Protector program, an enforcement and education effort using Spanish-speaking officers. The program's focus is the migrant farm labor community, and the Division's efforts were successful in lowering the disproportionate number of traffic fatalities among Hispanics. The CHP adopted the program statewide and it has been copied throughout the state and nation.

Two long freeway segments run the flat length of the Division a 244-mile stretch of State Route 99 and a 275-mile stretch of Interstate 5. Dust storms and dense winter fog create dangerous road conditions. Travelers are accustomed to seeing CHP vehicles pacing small groups of freeway traffic by using their emergency lights when visibility is 500 feet or less.

The Skywatch team was created in April, 2001, in response to the increased number of accidents involving commercial vehicles within Central Division. The team is comprised of officers from CHP areas located along the I-5 and SR-99 corridors. The team works closely with a fixed wing aircraft at different times and locations each day along the SR-99 and I-5 corridors, but also utilizes RADAR, and now LIDAR, with their enforcement efforts. Enforcement is primarily focused on commercial vehicles, as well as passenger vehicles operating unsafely around commercial vehicles. The team has operated on-and-off since its implementation in 2001, and has made a significant impact on reducing the number of commercial vehicle related accidents within the Division.

In 1996, Central Division also noted the passing of an era - the disappearance of the last traffic signal on State Route 99. Vehicles from big rigs to Volkswagens now bypass the four-way signal in the agricultural town of Livingston that used to bring four lanes of 65 mph freeway traffic to a dead stop.