CHP Cruisers

[AKRLTW]

Anyone have any videos of newer CHP cars?


I was used to them having red/blue with steady red as per cali law, when I grew up...


But, I saw something fantastic while I was on vacation and visiting family and old stomping grounds.


CHP cruiser, stopped, doing paperwork on the side of the highway. We're just tooling along at the speed limit, and some dude blows past us doing an estimated 30 over... while said CHP officer was also running radar while working his papers.


He lit up with mirror R/B, light bar R/B w/ 1 steady red, and a compliment of R/B in the grill.


Then, when he got behind the vehicle... EVERYTHING in front went to steady red. Mirrors, light bar, grill.


It was fantastic to see, especially at night. Unmistakeably "YOU PULL OVER NAO".


If anyone's in a position to make a video or take a video... or heck, find a video of their rigs, I'd appreciate it. I would like to know what they're running, because it was absolutely silly bright and VERY effective.

 

[jph2]

How about the videos here?


http://www.smugmug.com/...reG6u-A-LB

 

[PTRJason]

I was looking for that video too. Lol


Also no red and blue in the grill, only red mounted to the push bumpers and mirrors.

 

[lafd55]

Any idea as to what Division and/or unit it was? What type of vehicle? I have never seen a CHP car with blue in the grille/pushbumper and mirror beams.... And to ask the obvious question, you sure it was CHP?

 

[AKRLTW]

Thanks. It seemed much more impressive that evening compared to the static video. Big RED blob pulling shmedlap over.


As to the blue in the grill, I could be wrong. I know it was CHP because I passed them before he initiated pursuit. Passed him, they passed me without lights on then lit up once past me. I got the front view due to the officer initiating the actual stop on an off-ramp.


I also spent 17 years in Cali as a kid growing up with a CHP station about 5 miles outside my town (Watsonville) and it's not like they change their paint job.

 

[Code3EMT]

The newer CHP cars (with the Whelen Edge bars) have only red mirror beams and cross directional intersection lights on the push bumper. They have different settings for their lights. They can do slow flash to the front or solid all red everything. When talking with a CHP officer, he said its all personal preference. He said a majority of officers will light a person up and shut everything down. A lot of officers turn on everything solid while on an accident or tstop to avoid attracting drunks or dumb drivers. I'm not saying you're wrong in seeing blue in the grill or mirrors, but I have never seen a CHP car anywhere in Caly with that setup. Only forward blue on the bar is on the passenger side. Some of the older Code3 bars, just had two blue modules in the very middle of the bar.

 

[AKRLTW]

The newer CHP cars (with the Whelen Edge bars) have only red mirror beams and cross directional intersection lights on the push bumper. They have different settings for their lights. They can do slow flash to the front or solid all red everything. When talking with a CHP officer, he said its all personal preference. He said a majority of officers will light a person up and shut everything down. A lot of officers turn on everything solid while on an accident or tstop to avoid attracting drunks or dumb drivers. I'm not saying you're wrong in seeing blue in the grill or mirrors, but I have never seen a CHP car anywhere in Caly with that setup. Only forward blue on the bar is on the passenger side. Some of the older Code3 bars, just had two blue modules in the very middle of the bar.

Well, I don't mind you saying I'm wrong I *thought* I saw blue in the grill at some point, but that video from earlier is exactly what I saw, so that be that!


I find it interesting to do it the way they do IE having the option to go solid. Not something you see elsewhere.

 

[arsenal10]

I've rarely seen blue to the front when stopped. On a few occasions I have seen steady burn blue, but a majority of the time blue is off and red is steady burn in Park, then when car is put in gear everything starts flashing red & blue except at least one steady burn red.

 

[firefighter7017]

Slightly off subject;


It's amazing how the simplest of setups in amount of lights can be the most effective. It's all in the placement. Goes to show that you don't have to have a billion lights in every corner to be visible.

 

[cbpdogboy]

Freeze! California Highway Patrol Chooses Ford Police Interceptor Utility - Rumor Central

 

[Lektricman]

All CHP units today use the special CHP version of the whelen CanTrol or otherwise known as WeCan. They have now equipped the vehicles, when the officer hits the "park" brake, the lights automatically turn into steady burn.


For the liberty lightbars the front of the lightbar bar goes into steady red on one side for the "Forward Red WW" in "park" function or all on steady red and blue for "code 3 function" in "park"


The rear of the lightbar changes function in "park" function to kill some of the lights on the rear of the lightbar to prevent from DUI rear end collisions.


Some pretty cool stuff, it sucks knowing that not a single bar will make it out to the public, because if CA finds out you have CHP marked equipment they will immediately take the equipment. I heard a story of a man ending up with a Vision and control head marked by CHP, and they took it away.

 

[Blade Runner]

Some pretty cool stuff, it sucks knowing that not a single bar will make it out to the public, because if CA finds out you have CHP marked equipment they will immediately take the equipment. I heard a story of a man ending up with a Vision and control head marked by CHP, and they took it away.

On what grounds, and under who's authority? If I, as a Texan, buy something and it just happens to say CHP on it, then oh well. As long as someone legally purchased the item, the state of California can go piss up a rope. I can guarantee that people would be told specifically how and where they can shove it...

 

[coopers]

A tad off topic I guess but I read that CHP has decided to go to the Explorer for their patrol vehicles...may buy a few sedands (interceptors) but the main fleet will be SUV's.

 

[AKRLTW]

All CHP units today use the special CHP version of the whelen CanTrol or otherwise known as WeCan. They have now equipped the vehicles, when the officer hits the "park" brake, the lights automatically turn into steady burn.

For the liberty lightbars the front of the lightbar bar goes into steady red on one side for the "Forward Red WW" in "park" function or all on steady red and blue for "code 3 function" in "park"


The rear of the lightbar changes function in "park" function to kill some of the lights on the rear of the lightbar to prevent from DUI rear end collisions.


Some pretty cool stuff, it sucks knowing that not a single bar will make it out to the public, because if CA finds out you have CHP marked equipment they will immediately take the equipment. I heard a story of a man ending up with a Vision and control head marked by CHP, and they took it away.

So what, they don't auction off their old equipment?


Coopers: I think it's relevant to the discussion, at this point.

 

[ff168577]

A tad off topic I guess but I read that CHP has decided to go to the Explorer for their patrol vehicles...may buy a few sedands (interceptors) but the main fleet will be SUV's.

That was discussed in 2 seperate forums already.

 

[chpcharger]

As far as I have heard it gets reused or destroyed. Or other smaller Agencies also had the option to use it.