The CHP Southern Division

Southern Division is small in size, but huge in traffic flow. With the busy freeways and 64 unincorporated communities of Los Angeles County as its primary jurisdiction, Southern Division serves over 9.75 million residents. This population is larger than the population of 42 states and is home to 28 percent of all California residents.

 Division boundaries also encompass the white-sand beaches; the television and movie industry hub in Hollywood and Burbank; the Los Angeles International Airport; sporting stadiums and coliseums; large concert venues; and major amusement theme parks.

 Despite the smallest geographical area of the CHP's eight Divisions, Southern has the largest number of uniformed and non-uniformed employees. Los Angeles is the real-world training ground for many new officers. In the first Cadet class of 2007, 35 percent of Academy graduates were assigned to Southern. This is largely due to the workload of Southern Division, whose officers documented 53,315 collision reports in 2005, more than any other Division in the state.

An estimated one-third of all CHP motorcycles are assigned to the Division. When a traffic violation or collision occurs, motorcycles are the only vehicles that can weave between the gridlocked cars. Some freeways have no shoulders to allow law enforcement cars and emergency vehicles access to an accident scene. With Los Angeles a favorite destination for national leaders and visiting heads of state, motorcycle officers serve as part of the dignitary protection unit.

The Division is a partner with Caltrans in the Los Angeles Regional Transportation Management Center. With a staff of CHP and Caltrans employees, the center uses advanced transportation management technology, including computer-aided dispatch, adjustable ramp meter intervals, changeable warning message signs and live TV updates.

 Los Angeles County also has the largest Asian and Latino populations in the country, with over 1.4 million and 4.3 million respectively. To provide safety classes and to educate about traffic safety laws, Southern Division has Asian and Latino community liaisons. These officers travel to primarily foreign-speaking language communities with the intention of safety, service, and security.