The graduating class of cadets is a manifestation of the state’s “CHP 1,000” campaign—a program launched in 2022 to expand the group of officers representing the nation’s largest state police force.
“This diverse group of officers represents the best of California,” Newsom said in the announcement. “I’m profoundly grateful they have chosen to answer the call to serve—and committed themselves to improving public safety and building trust across the Golden State.”
Newly graduated officers will be deployed to various locations throughout the state, with some allocated to San Francisco to assist with the governor’s efforts in combating crime and fentanyl overdose deaths plaguing downtown, according to the press release.
A day earlier, Newsom announced that he directed CHP to double their operational footprint in San Francisco following a joint operation between the agency and the California National Guard established in May.
That operation seized more than 8.1 kilograms of fentanyl—enough to kill more than 4 million people based on U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency calculations—as of June 29, according to the press release announcing the expansion.
With drug abuse rampant and crime plaguing major metropolitan areas, state officials are looking to increase the number of officers patrolling areas and investigating criminal activity, with a focus on recruiting more candidates with law enforcement aspirations.
In a statement released by the CHP June 30 acknowledging the rigorous training and various courses of study cadets undergo at the academy, leaders expressed gratitude for those in the community willing to step up and serve.
“I want to commend these men and women, not just for the hard work they put in the past several months while training at the Academy, but for their willingness to serve the public,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “These new officers are valued members of the CHP who are committed to improving safety in California for many years to come.”
Cadets train for 26 weeks at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento with live instruction, academic and physical exercises, law enforcement training, and exams. Lessons stress the importance of nobility in policing, professionalism, and leadership, with ethics training undertaken throughout the process.
As the officers are primarily responsible for policing California’s highways, cadets undergo extensive training in vehicle patrol, accident investigation, emergency medical procedures, and suspect apprehension techniques, in addition to traffic control and penal code studies.
Mental illness and crisis prevention training are key components of academic instruction, as the state is facing a mental health epidemic in homeless populations exacerbated by drug abuse, according to experts.
All applicants must pass physical ability tests that include performing 19 push-ups and 25 sit-ups, in a minute or less for each, and running 1.5 miles in less than 15 minutes and 300 meters in less than 70 seconds. Failure to perform any of these feats is grounds for immediate disqualification.
Once physical tests, a written exam, medical and psychological evaluations, and a thorough background check involving discussions with neighbors and past associates are complete, successful applicants are invited to attend the academy.
Graduates are ranked based on their performance, with academic tests accounting for 60 percent of an applicant’s score, and firearms tests and physical exams equaling 20 percent each.
Those scoring highest receive priority for assignments, with recruits given a “Dream Sheet” and asked to rank the open positions from the eight geographic regions CHP uses to divide the state based on where they would like to work. After a year on duty, officers can request relocation, but all assignments are based on agency need, hardship, residency, and academy scores.
While 101 new officers successfully navigated the lengthy application process—typically nine to 15 months—and then the 6-month-long academy, the agency is not slowing down, with classes ongoing.
“We have two classes in the academy and another coming soon, and we’re about halfway through the recruitment process, which is very much still underway,” Jamie Coffee, communications director for the CHP, told The Epoch Times.
When 128 new cadets start the academy in about a month, it will bring current enrollment to 366, the highest level in 14 years. The newest graduating class brought the force up to more than 6,550, with officials aiming to bring that number well above 7,000 over the next few years.
All applicants, even police officers serving with other municipalities, must complete training through the academy for consideration.
Training at the academy is paid, with cadets receiving salaries of $5,563 per month, and graduates earning more than $100,000 during their first year on the job, according to the agency.
Newsom described the qualities the highway patrol is seeking in applicants, in the press release announcing the campaign in 2022.
“It requires a special kind of character and special brand of bravery to be a California Highway Patrol Officer,” Newsom said. “Our entire way of life—our freedoms, our peace, our pursuit of happiness—depends on those fearless, faithful few determined to protect it.”
