January 31, 2005

LAO 60 YEARS OF SERVICE

California : Enhancing Road Patrol Service Through Efficiencies

ELIZABETH G. HILL • LEGISLATIVE ANALYST

In the past few years, workload increases for the Highway Patrol (CHP) have out- paced growth in staffing levels of road patrol (traffic) officers. In particular, the recent up- surge in the number of traffic accidents occur- ring in CHP’s jurisdiction has limited the department’s ability to conduct proactive pa- trols and enhance the levels of service that it provides to the motoring public. Given these developments, this report recommends a num- ber of actions to improve the efficiency of the department in order to enhance its road pa- trol service. ■ AN LAO REPORT

Acknowledgments LAO Publications This report was prepared by Paul To request publications call (916) 445-4656. Steenhausen, and reviewed by Dana Curry. This report and others, as well as an E-mail The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) is a ■ subscription service, are available on the nonpartisan office which provides fiscal and LAO’s Internet site at www.lao.ca.gov. The policy information and advice to the LAO is located at 925 L Street, Suite 1000, Legislature. Sacramento, CA 95814.

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OVERVIEW OF CHP’S MISSION The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is for state employees and property. The CHP’s responsible for providing a number of services responsibilities have expanded further since to the state. The CHP’s core mission is to September 11, 2001, with the department ensure safety and enforce traffic laws on ap- playing a major role in the state’s enhanced proximately 100,000 miles of roadways. The security activities. CHP’s jurisdiction includes all state highways Most of CHP’s operations are funded from (interstate routes, U.S. highways, and state the Motor Vehicle Account (MVA), which routes), as well as county roads in unincorpo- derives its revenues primarily from vehicle rated areas. (Local departments patrol registration and driver license fees. In 2004-05, incorporated areas of the state, and sheriff’s CHP’s expenditures total about $1.4 billion. offices enforce primarily nontraffic-related laws In this report, we look at trends in staffing in unincorporated areas.) Road patrol (traffic) and workload in the road patrol program. We officers drive their enforcement vehicles “in find that recent increases in the number of traffic view” of the public in order to reduce the accidents combined with relatively little growth incidence of accident-causing behavior among in road patrol staffing have resulted in officers motorists, remove congestion- and accident- spending increasing amounts of their work causing impediments from roadways, respond hours responding to accidents rather than to accidents when they do occur, and provide conducting proactive patrols and providing various other types of services and assistance to enforcement and other safety-related services the public. In addition to road patrol, the depart- to the public. In order to better promote traffic ment promotes traffic safety by inspecting safety in the state, this report identifies a number commercial vehicles operating on state high- of measures that the Legislature can direct the ways as well as inspecting and certifying school CHP to adopt to achieve considerable program buses, ambulances, and other specialized efficiencies and cost effectiveness. These vehicles. include: (1) reducing workload by modifying the The CHP carries out a variety of other department’s accident-reporting policies; mandated tasks related to law enforcement, (2) streamlining the department’s record- including investigating vehicular theft and keeping processes; (3) pilot testing the use of providing backup to local law enforcement in nonuniformed staff for certain activities in the criminal matters. Since 1995, when the Califor- road patrol program; and (4) redirecting certain nia State Police was consolidated into the CHP, nonpatrol uniformed staff to road patrol duties. the department has provided protective services

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RECENT WORKLOAD INCREASE OUTPACES UNIFORMED STAFF GROWTH

Currently, the CHP’s overall level of staffing Trends in Uniformed Staffing Levels is about 10,300. The department is comprised of And Road Patrol Workload uniformed (sworn) and nonuniformed Recent Personnel Growth Largely in (nonsworn) personnel, with uniformed person- Nonpatrol Programs . . . As Figure 1 displays, nel accounting for approximately 7,200 posi- CHP’s uniformed staffing levels have increased tions, or 70 percent of total staff. Of the uni- considerably in the past decade. In 1993, a formed personnel, 85 percent (6,100) are department-wide hiring freeze limited CHP to officers and 11 percent (800) are sergeants. 5,800 uniformed personnel, including about Middle and upper management personnel 4,200 personnel for road patrol duties. The ( through the commissioner) make following year, the Legislature authorized an up the remaining uniformed positions. Roughly increase of 500 uniformed staff over a three- two-thirds (4,700) of CHP’s overall uniformed year period. In 1995, CHP added 270 additional personnel carry out road patrol duties. The protective service positions as a result of the remaining uniformed personnel (2,500) perform consolidation with the California State Police. various nonpatrol functions for the department. The number of uniformed staff also grew in the 1990s due to workload increases in the vehicle Figure 1 inspection and theft CHP Uniformed Officers Authorized Positions programs. As a result of the September 11, 2001 1993 Through 2003 attacks, over 300 addi- 8,000 tional uniformed posi- tions were added for homeland security 7,000 duties such as protecting bridges and serving on 6,000 various antiterrorism task forces. Overall, levels of 5,000 authorized uniformed staff have increased by 4,000 approximately 1,400 officers (24 percent) since 1993. However, 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 two-thirds (900) of these

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new positions have been designated for roads jumped to just over 200,000. After declin- nonpatrol functions such as protective/security ing slightly the following year, accidents in 2000 services. The road patrol program has been the increased by almost 16,000 (8 percent) over recipient of roughly one-third (500) of the 1999. The number of traffic accidents in CHP’s additional uniformed staff since 1993, which jurisdiction has continued to rise each year since represents an increase in traffic officers of 2000, with totals reaching unprecedented levels of 12 percent. 227,000 in 2002. The CHP estimates accident . . . While Workload in Road Patrol Pro- totals for 2003 to be even higher. (At the time gram Soars. From 1993 through 2003, CHP this report was prepared, CHP still did not have experienced a substantial increase in road patrol actual data for 2003.) workload. The most significant component of As Figure 3 (see next page) displays, the workload growth for road patrol officers in- increase in accident-related workload has volves responding to traffic accidents. Since occurred “across the board”—for all categories 1993, the number of accidents occurring in of accidents including property-damage-only CHP’s jurisdiction has increased by almost accidents as well as for accidents resulting in 30 percent, or 52,000 accidents. As Figure 2 injury and death. The National Highway Traffic shows, total accidents increased modestly from Safety Administration cites the increased num- 1993 through 1997. In 1998, however, the ber of motorcycles and sports utility vehicles number of accidents on highways and county operating on state roadways as key factors influencing the overall

Figure 2 growth of accidents in Total Traffic Accidents in CHP’s Jurisdiction recent years. Increased use of cellular phones 1993 Through 2003 and other in-vehicle

250,000 technology by drivers may also contribute to the increase in accidents. 200,000 As Figure 3 also shows, the increase in accidents 150,000 involving property- damage-only has been significantly greater than 100,000 the increase in more serious types of acci- 50,000 dents. Due in part to the proliferation of safety devices in vehicles such 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 as air bags, property- Estimate damage-only accidents

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increased by 40 percent from 1993 through ably the amount of time CHP can spend on 2003, as compared with a 10 percent increase proactive enforcement efforts, in which officers in injury/fatal crashes. drive their marked patrol vehicles in view of the motoring public. This is because obligations to Implications of Accident-Related respond to, investigate, and file reports on large Workload Growth numbers of traffic accidents reduce the time that Increase in Time Spent on Accident officers have available to patrol the roadways. Response . . . Departmental policy requires Yet, the department maintains that proactive officers to investigate and file a written report patrols are a vital means of promoting traffic on every traffic accident to which they respond. safety because they serve as an effective deter- These investigations, even for relatively minor rent to unsafe driving, as well as provide oppor- “fender-bender” accidents, are time-consuming tunities for officers to identify and address in a tasks for road patrol officers. Data provided by timely fashion dangerous situations such as CHP show that the average noninjury investiga- moving violations, debris, and disabled vehicles tion takes over two hours to complete. Colli- on the roadways. sions resulting in injury or death average almost As Figure 4 shows, the extent of proactive seven hours of investigative and reporting time. patrolling by CHP has declined markedly within Since the late 1990s, the total amount of time the last few years. In fact, the total number of officers spend annually on accident-related hours officers spend on in-view patrol has investigations and

reporting has increased Figure 3 about 170,000 hours Injury/Fatal and Property-Damage-Only Accidents (25 percent), from In CHP’s Jurisdiction 680,000 hours in 1999 1993 Through 2003 to 850,000 hours in

2003—the equivalent of Property-Damage-Only Accidents 160,000 approximately 98 per- Injury/Fatal Accidents sonnel-years (full-time

officer positions). This 120,000 does not include the increase in time officers now spend directing 80,000 traffic at crash scenes. . . . Means Less Time for Safety-En- 40,000 hancing Proactive Patrols. Increased numbers of accidents 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 have limited consider- Estimate

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decreased from 2.7 million hours in the late has fallen, as displayed in Figure 5 (see next 1990s to 2.4 million hours in 2003—a reduction of page). Since the late 1990s, the number of about 9 percent. Annual patrol miles driven by motorist services performed by road patrol traffic officers, meanwhile, have dropped from officers—which includes aiding stranded motor- 87 million to less than 81 million miles, while miles ists and removing hazards from the roadways— driven by motorists have increased every year. has decreased by over 20 percent. In addition, The reduction of in-view patrol and miles the combined number of enforcement contacts driven in 2001 is due in part to the temporary (arrests, citations, and written and verbal warn- redirection of some officers from road patrol to ings) initiated by officers in recent years is below homeland security duties after September 11, levels the department achieved throughout 2001. The addition of new officer positions most of the 1990s. dedicated to security activities in 2002 and 2003 “Vicious Circle” Not Likely to Abate allowed the department to return redirected Without Action. The continued increase in officers to road patrol, though increased acci- traffic accidents has created a vicious circle for dent workload in those years limited CHP’s the department: the increase in accident ability to attain patrol levels of the late 1990s. workload lessens opportunities for officers to As a result of the reduction in proactive perform proactive patrols, and thus their avail- patrolling, the overall level of traffic services and ability to perform motorist services and enforce- enforcement that CHP provides to the public ment contacts like removing unsafe debris and dangerous drivers from

Figure 4 the highways—which in CHP Hours Spent and Miles Driven on Road Patrol turn may result in addi- tional accidents. Absent 1998 Through 2003 corrective measures, it is

Hours Miles unlikely that CHP’s Hours Spent on “In View” Patrol (In Millions) (In Millions) 3.00 Patrol Miles Driven 88 ability to promote traffic safety will improve. As 86 2.50 the state’s population continues to increase, 84 2.00 use of state and county

82 roadways by motorists 1.50 will likely grow—resulting 80 in a greater probability 1.00 of breakdowns, traffic 78 hazards, moving viola- 0.50 76 tions, and other situa- tions requiring CHP’s 74 services. 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

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OPERATIONAL CHANGES TO ADDRESS INCREASING WORKLOAD Our review shows that there are a number Depending on the severity of the collision, of measures which could be adopted to im- officers may also be required to include a prove CHP’s road patrol program. These detailed diagram of how the accident occurred, measures entail primarily a more efficient use of as well as describe all pertinent physical evi- existing resources, including modifying work dence. The investigations are usually conducted processes and shifting certain responsibilities at the crash scene, while reports are written from uniformed to nonuniformed personnel. either at the area office or in a safe location off Under the terms of the existing collective the roadway. After completing the report, at bargaining agreement, it would appear that least one other officer reviews it for clarity and some of these personnel changes could require completeness. The report is then made available consultation with the officers’ union. to interested parties to the crash, particularly the motorists and their insurance companies. Modify Accident-Reporting Policy for Hundreds of Thousands of Officer Hours Noninjury Accidents Spent on Accident Reports. The CHP spends a As noted earlier, current departmental policy significant amount of time and resources on requires road patrol officers to investigate and complete a written Figure 5 report on every traffic Motorist Services and Enforcement Contacts accident to which they Provided by CHP respond. Officers must 1993 Through 2003 (In Millions)

record each party’s Enforcement Contacts

personal information 6 Motorist Services (such as names and

contact information of 5 drivers and passengers, driver license informa- 4 tion, and insurance information) and obtain 3 statements from partici- pants and witnesses. The 2 accident report must also include a narrative 1 that summarizes the circumstances and causes of the crash. 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

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these investigations and reports. In 2003, road patrol officers offered parties to a property- patrol officers spent a combined 525,000 damage-only accident assistance with exchang- hours—the equivalent of 300 personnel-years— ing information—rather than the current default completing 76,000 injury and fatal collision policy of taking a formal collision report—more reports. In addition, they spent a combined time on each shift would be freed up for officers 325,000 hours—the equivalent of 185 person- to devote attention to higher priority matters. nel-years—writing reports on 150,000 property- Annually, this could free up to 185 personnel- damage-only accidents. years in resources to perform proactive patrol. Yet, current law does not require CHP or any other law enforcement agencies in the state Streamline Time and Record-Keeping to take reports on property-damage-only colli- Processes for Road Patrol Officers sions; reports are only required for accidents Like most law enforcement agencies, CHP involving injuries and fatalities. In fact, many local tracks closely the activities of its officers in the law enforcement agencies, including the Cities field. Road patrol officers are required to com- of and Sacramento, do not require municate frequently with dispatchers and super- their officers to take reports on property- visors regarding their whereabouts and activi- damage-only collisions if they do not involve ties. For this purpose officers use their two-way extenuating circumstances such as unlicensed, radio or laptop computer, which can be uninsured, or intoxicated drivers. Instead, city mounted in their patrol vehicle. Officers are also police usually instruct the parties to exchange responsible for ensuring that detailed records of pertinent information, notify the Department of each shift are kept for payroll, performance Motor Vehicles (if property damage to either evaluations, and other purposes. vehicle exceeds $750), and contact their insur- Record-Keeping System Paper-Intensive, ance companies for further investigation and Time-Consuming, and Inefficient. Our review resolution of the matter. By contrast, the only finds, however, that CHP’s time and record- circumstance in which CHP officers are in- keeping procedures for road patrol officers are structed not to take a formal report is if the time-consuming and inefficient. The paper- parties to a property-damage-only collision insist intensive system slows down officers and limits on taking care of the matter themselves by their ability to move quickly onto their next exchanging information. However, current depart- activity. In addition, it requires officers to spend mental policies forbid road patrol officers from too much of their time—particularly toward the suggesting this option to the parties. end of their shift—completing paperwork. For Changing Accident Reporting Could Free instance, officers must record by hand each Up Officers for Road Patrol. Given its substan- activity (such as accident investigations, motorist tial accident-related responsibilities, we recom- services, and arrests) they perform on their shift mend the enactment of legislation that directs log, even though their activities are also re- CHP to modify its accident-reporting policy in a corded on the dispatcher’s computer log. At the way that reduces officers’ workload without end of their shift, officers must count the num- compromising public safety. For example, if ber of times they performed each activity, as

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well as add up the total amount of time spent on Record-Keeping Should Be Streamlined. these activities. Officers record by hand this Accordingly, we recommend the enactment of information on their shift log, along with the legislation directing CHP to streamline its total hours worked on their shift. Officers record-keeping procedures, including imple- routinely ask for a copy of the dispatch log to menting the following: complete their shift log. Officers must then ➢ Eliminate the requirement that road transcribe the activity data from their shift log patrol officers record activities on their onto a separate Activity Summary Form. Offic- shift log (CHP 415, Daily Field Record). ers must also complete by hand a Supplemental Most of these activities, such as re- Daily Field Record, which requires them to sponding to an accident and making an record the race, gender, age, and other informa- arrest, are already recorded on the tion of each member of the public with whom dispatchers’ log. In eliminating the paper- they came into contact while on patrol. based shift log, CHP operations would Paperwork Reduces Roadway Patrol, be in line with the current procedures of Particularly Between Patrol Shifts. Based on numerous law enforcement agencies in our field observations and discussions with CHP the state. staff, it appears that road patrol officers can spend up to one hour per eight and one half ➢ Develop an automated system of record hour shift (roughly 12 percent of each shift) keeping so that officers’ daily tallies of filling out various required forms. (These forms such workload as citations issued, arrests are exclusive of accident reports that officers made, and motorists aided are added up have to complete, as discussed earlier.) By and recorded directly into the depart- improving the process of recording, tallying, and mental databases (rather than first onto reporting officers’ attendance and activities, the CHP 415 form). This modification CHP could reduce the amount of time uni- would also eliminate the need for formed staff spend on administrative matters, officers to transcribe daily and monthly thereby increasing patrol time. This is particularly activity data onto the Activity Summary important given that CHP currently provides form (CHP 100). negligible coverage of roadways during certain ➢ Have officers complete their timesheet periods of the day when officers just beginning on departmental computers rather than their shift are in briefings at the area office, while recording them by hand on the officers at the end of their shift are back com- CHP 415 form. pleting paperwork. A 20 percent reduction in time spent annually on paperwork would ➢ Acquire software that allows officers to amount to the equivalent of about 100 officers. record demographic information of In addition, changes to the process would also public contacts directly onto their reduce workload for the nonuniformed clerical computers rather than by hand on the staff that currently perform the task of key- Supplemental Daily Field Record form entering data from these forms into CHP’s (CHP 415D). computer system.

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➢ Reduce the time it takes for accident powers” of, among other things, search, seizure, investigation and reporting by allowing and arrest. Road patrol officers must have these officers to dictate collision reports rather powers to issue traffic citations to motorists, than writing them, in line with the prac- search a suspicious vehicle for illegal contra- tice of other law enforcement agencies band, and arrest motorists for offenses such as in the state. Officers could either dictate driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. their reports over the phone into a In addition, however, these officers routinely voice mail system set up for such a perform various other service-related duties on purpose or into a microcassette re- their shift that do not require any special police corder, which nonuniformed personnel powers. In fact, as Figure 6 displays, data from could then transcribe into a report. the department indicate that a significant amount of officer time (over 700,000 hours annually) is The procurement of software for record- spent on activities such as directing traffic and keeping purposes would involve one-time costs completing paperwork for the storage of towed to CHP, which likely would be offset by a vehicles. Using the equivalent of over 400 CHP reduction in costs to key-enter data. While officers on these types of service calls, however, transcription services for officer reports would may not be the most cost-efficient use of sworn involve ongoing administrative costs, it would free personnel—particularly considering the heavy up officer time for more road patrol service. workload they carry with accident investigations Pilot Test the Use of Nonsworn Staff for and enforcement responsibilities. Nonenforcement Road Patrol Duties Road Patrol Duties Can Be Performed by Combination of Sworn and Nonsworn Staff. Under current law, all CHP uniformed road One alternative to more efficiently utilize road patrol officers are sworn law enforcement patrol resources would be to use nonsworn personnel, meaning that they possess “police road patrol staff for certain activities. This would be similar to the com-

Figure 6 munity service officers Common CHP Officer Activities that numerous law Not Requiring Police Powers enforcement agencies employ throughout the (2003) state and country. For Personnel-Years example, the Virginia Activity Hours Spent Equivalenta State Police successfully b Traffic control 421,000 242 uses full- and part-time Public/motorist servicesc 235,000 135 civilian personnel to Vehicle storage 106,000 61 perform tasks such as Totals 762,000 438 directing traffic at crash a Full-time officer positions. b Directing traffic at crash sites and special events. sites, removing debris c Assisting stranded motorists, removing road hazards. from the roadway,

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assisting the occupants of disabled vehicles, Redirect Certain Nonpatrol Uniformed investigating abandoned vehicles, and coordinat- Staff to In-View Road Patrol Duties ing the towing of vehicles. These “safety ser- Although CHP’s authorized staffing level for vices patrollers” drive distinctively marked officers and sergeants totals 6,900, only about vehicles on the highway and are dispatched to 4,700 positions are designated for actual road nonenforcement calls such as vehicle break- patrol assignments. The other 2,200 officers and downs. If all of the safety services patrollers in sergeants—based at CHP’s Sacramento head- an area are busy at the time with other calls, a quarters and in field divisions, area offices, Virginia road patrol officer (state trooper) communication centers, and inspection facilities handles the incident until one becomes avail- throughout the state—perform various nonpatrol able. By having civilian staff assigned to respond functions. In some cases, however, these to service calls, state troopers’ time is freed up uniformed personnel are assigned responsibili- so that they can conduct proactive enforcement ties that do not require police powers to carry patrols and manage more serious and complex out. Our review suggests that this is not an situations. efficient use of peace officers. This is because Recommend Pilot Testing Use of these officers, who are compensated at higher Nonsworn Staff. In order to evaluate the levels than most nonuniformed staff due to their workability of using nonsworn staff for certain special status and skills, are occupying positions road patrol duties in this state, we recommend that do not allow them to use to the fullest the enactment of legislation that directs CHP to capacity the expertise for which they are pilot test “safety services patrollers” in select trained. To make more efficient use of CHP areas for a period of time, such as two years, resources, we recommend that the Legislature and to report to the Legislature on the pros and enact legislation directing the department to cons of implementing the project statewide. study the feasibility of backfilling vacated If the pilot is successful, phased-in implemen- nonpatrol uniformed positions with tation of the program statewide would produce nonuniformed personnel. Cost savings gener- a net increase in the number of CHP staff ated from this action could be used to hire (uniformed and nonuniformed) patrolling state additional road patrol officers where justified by roadways for about the same cost. This is workload. For example, for every 100 vacant because the average cost (salary and benefits) positions that are filled with nonuniformed staff for a CHP officer is over one-fourth higher than rather than sworn personnel, the department that of a nonuniformed CHP position. Thus, for could free up enough funds to hire an additional example, cost savings from hiring 400 safety 25 road patrol officers for in-view patrol. service patrollers to replace the equivalent in Nonuniformed staff could be deployed in place vacant officer positions could be used to hire of uniformed staff for activities such as: roughly 100 additional officers—thereby increas- ➢ Checking the records of motorists ing total personnel coverage on state roadways. operating on state roadways with out-of- state license plates to determine if they

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should be registered with the Depart- facilities, even though most of the ment of Motor Vehicles. inspections are actually conducted by nonuniformed personnel. ➢ Coordinating each area office’s com- puter network. ➢ Certifying school bus drivers.

➢ Attending community outreach events ➢ Administering the department’s rotation and providing information to the media tow truck program, and conducting and public on CHP’s activities and safety annual inspections of tow trucks, ambu- programs. Currently, about 40 full-time lances, and armored cars. and over 50 part-time uniformed staff ➢ Managing the Freeway Service Patrol are assigned these duties. program—which provides free towing ➢ Weighing and inspecting commercial services to motorists during peak com- vehicles for registration and safety mute hours in certain urban areas—and compliance. Currently, approximately monitoring freeway traffic conditions. 350 uniformed personnel are assigned Currently, this program has 50 full-time to 16 on-highway truck inspection uniformed officers.

CONCLUSION This report has suggested a number of dures—as well as to the way it allocates and uses measures to address workload growth in CHP’s uniformed and nonuniformed staff—the depart- road patrol program. Most of these changes ment can free up substantial resources, poten- give the Legislature the opportunity to increase tially in the hundreds of uniformed officers, for in-view patrols with existing levels of funding for proactive patrols, thereby enhancing CHP’s CHP. Specifically, by making various changes to road patrol service throughout the state. CHP’s current policies, processes, and proce-

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