The El Centro Area office is located in Imperial County in the southeast region of California. Imperial County extends over 4,597 square miles, bordering with Mexico to the south, Riverside County to the north, San Diego County on the west, and the Winterhaven CHP Area on the east. The terrain varies from 235 feet below sea level at the Salton Sea to 4,548 feet above sea level at Blue Angel Peak. The Area is responsible for 408 miles of state highways and 2,600 miles of county roads. Our office staff consists of 42 uniformed employees, and 4 non-uniformed support staff. The Area is managed by a captain and a lieutenant.
Although this region is a desert, receiving low rainfall of less than three inches per year, the main source of commerce in Imperial County is farming. A vast system of canals, check dams, and pipelines carry farm irrigation water throughout the valley by way of a distribution system that includes over 1,400 miles of canals with 1,100 miles of pipeline.
The climate in the Imperial Valley is hot and dry, ranging from lows in the mid 30's in January to extreme highs of 110+ in July and August. Imperial County is a vast open area that has many places for people to enjoy the outdoors. Such recreational areas include the Laguna Mountains, the Salton Sea which is the state’s largest inland lake, and the Glamis Dunes, which is one of the largest sand dune fields in America.
The El Centro Dispatch Center (ECDC) is staffed by 12 public safety dispatchers and 2 dispatch supervisors. The ECDC is part of the El Centro Area Office and provides communications and support services for the El Centro Area, Winterhaven Area, Calexico Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility, and the Sidewinder Platform Scales Facility. Additional dispatch and coordination services are provided to the CHP Border Division Mexico Liaison Unit Officers, Investigative Services Unit Vehicle Theft Investigators, Motor Carrier Specialists, and K9 units, as well as guest users such as the Union Pacific Railroad Police, California Department of Fish and Game, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Our dedicated team of dispatchers is committed to the mission of the California Highway Patrol, providing safety, service, and security to the public. Their general duties include adhering to CALNENA 9-1-1 call answering times, highway callboxes, and emergency telephone calls transferred from allied agencies. They dispatch officers to traffic collisions, disabled motorists, other requests for service, and serve as an essential point of contact for resources needed by officers in the field. The ECDC is linked directly to the CHP Emergency Notification Tactical Alert Center (ENTAC).
