Vicious Circle for California Highway Patrol

The Legislature's watchdog says a steady increase in traffic accidents is straining the California Highway Patrol -- creating a vicious circle: C-H-P officers spend more time responding to crashes and less time trying to prevent them, so the numbers keep increasing.

The Legislative Analyst's Office recommends changing accident reporting policies and using more civilian employees to free more sworn officers for patrol duties. A spokesman says the C-H-P is considering those options -- but is cautious about no longer taking non-injury accident reports as the analyst suggests, because the public has come to expect that service.

The California Association of Highway Patrolmen says the recommendations won't end the need to hire thousands more officers.

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Related Links:

Legislative Analyst's Office: www.lao.ca.gov

California Highway Patrol: www.chp.ca.gov

California Association of Highway Patrolmen: www.thecahp.org

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