The California Highway Patrol Bakersfield Area is proud to serve Bakersfield and Kern County by providing safety, service, and security to hundreds of thousands of residents, commuters and tourists each day. As part of the CHP’s Central Division, the Bakersfield Area boundaries include mountains that reach over 7,000 ft. in elevation and a valley floor that is just slightly above sea level. The Bakersfield Area’s jurisdiction encompasses two major freeways (State Route 99 and State Route 58) and thousands of miles of surface streets in several unincorporated communities which include: Lamont, Pumpkin Center, and Glennville. The diverse terrain includes metropolitan, rural, and mountainous areas.
Kern County's geography offers a wide variety of recreational activities. Among the outdoor recreational activities are: Horseback riding, water skiing (Lake Buena Vista, Lake Ming, and private ski ranches), auto racing at the world famous Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Buttonwillow Speedway, Bakersfield Speedway, the Kern County Raceway Park (an 85 acre NASCAR facility), hunting, paint ball courses, white water rafting and Olympic quality kayaking on the upper Kern River, snow skiing at Alta Sierra, numerous shooting ranges, hiking, on and off-road biking, camping and fishing in the Kernville and Lake Isabella areas, as well as other activities.
The Bakersfield CHP Area has patrol responsibility for Kern County, which has a population of nearly one million residents. Kern County began 2015 with approximately 700,000 vehicles registered within the county. The City of Bakersfield is the largest community in Kern County and currently has a population of approximately 400,000 – making it the 9th largest city in California. The City of Bakersfield is considered one of the fastest growing cities in the San Joaquin Valley.
The Bakersfield Area is currently staffed by 115 sworn employees, 102 of whom are officers. The Kern Valley Resident Post, which operates out of the Bakersfield Area, has one sergeant and six officers. A clerical staff of seven, communications center staffed with 21 public safety dispatchers and three public safety dispatch supervisors also call the Bakersfield Area home. One maintenance technician and three mechanics round out the staff currently working in the Bakersfield Area. We have one dedicated Community Service Officer and one Safety Services Officer who works closely with other State agencies and traffic safety stakeholders. Our Public Information Officer can be heard on local television and radio stations broadcasting safe travel information and offering traffic safety tips. The Area is proud of our award-winning Explorer Post, instituted in 2014, which currently has 10 CHP Explorers. Thirteen members of the community serve the public as Senior Volunteers; performing such functions as assisting with clerical duties, public affairs, and helping officers while on patrol.
The Bakersfield Area is currently utilizing ten motorcycles, two commercial enforcement vehicles, and one specially marked patrol vehicle to assist in its efforts to provide the highest level of safety and service to motorists traveling within its area of responsibility.
Bakersfield CHP offers a number of programs aimed at keeping you safe on the road and on the highway. Contact our office for information on how to safely buckle kids in their safety seats, teach new drivers the challenges of the road, safe driving techniques for elderly drivers, or learn some tips for driving at night, in bad weather, and in high volume traffic. You can help us by driving defensively and safely, obeying the posted speed limit, leaving enough room between your car and the car in front of you, using your turn signals, and being courteous on the road. Thank you for taking the time to visit our Web site. Click on “Programs and Services” above to learn more about the many traffic safety programs the CHP offers.
The Bakersfield Area office is currently located at 4040 Buck Owens Boulevard, Bakersfield, CA 93308, just off of SR-99. If you are traveling from the south, exit SR-99 at Buck Owens Boulevard, turn right from the freeway off-ramp and go north about ¼ mile; the office will be on the right. If traveling from the north, exit SR-99 at Golden State Highway, then take the Buck Owens Boulevard exit; the office will be on the left. The CHP is excited to announce a long-awaited new facility is expected to be completed in late 2015.
