By Bob Walsh
The California Highway Patrol is regarded by many as the epitome of its type. Competent, professional, honest, brave, reverent, etc. And they may get a new special squad.
Counterterrorism? No. Drug interdiction? No. Carpool lane violators. Hell yes.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission says that about 1/4 of the cars in the carpool lane during commute hours are in fact solo occupant vehicles. They are “clogging up” the carpool lanes and pissing off the hyper-mileage assholes driving hybrid vehicles in the carpool lanes. This is happening to the point where the MTC is strongly urging that the CHP create special task force to nail these horrible people.
The minimum ticket cost is $281, not including administrative fees. At that rate each special enforcement officer would only have to write two or three tickets per shift to break even.
The CHP has, thus far, declined comment on the proposal.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For those of you too young to know, Broderick Crawford was an Academy Award winning actor who also played the part of Chief Dan Matthews in the 1955-59 TV series “Highway Patrol”.
Larry Wilcox (Jon) and Eric Estrada (Ponch) played the lead roles as California Highway Patrol motorcycle cops in the 1977-83 TV series “CHiPs”.
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21-50 to Headquarters. Headquarters, by.
In the first two seasons the series received technical assistance from the California Highway Patrol. The patrol cars in early episodes are actual CHP vehicles with the show's car door emblem covering the CHP emblem (sometimes a real CHP star is briefly visible). For instance, the 1955 Buick Century two-door patrol car seen in early episodes was built exclusively for CHP. Eventually California Highway Patrol dropped its support, reportedly dissatisfied with how the show had evolved. At that point the show had to create its own patrol cars using non-police models, but still outfitted in CHP-style, distinctly subdued compared with many police agencies. Notably, CHP cars did not have roof lights, instead using only a solid-red driver-side spotlight in front (known affectionately as "The Ruby"), and a flashing-yellow light in the rear window; these are barely noticeable in the black-and-white TV show.
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