CHP officer talks about his job, offers driving suggestions

By Daniel Wolowicz danielw@theacorn.com

Behind the wheel of his black and white Crown Victoria, officer Ken Ericsson patrols Conejo Valley with the straightforward confidence of a 27-year veteran.

An officer with the California Highway Patrol, Ericsson works out of the Moorpark station, a temporary storefront facility the department uses to serve the entire East County.

Down the street from the cramped offices, a new Police Services Center is under construction and is slated for completion by June. The building will house both the CHP and the Moorpark Police Department and is eagerly anticipated by the two agencies.

Originally a substation for the Ventura CHP headquarters, the Moorpark Road storefront office became its own station in January. Capt. Cliff Williams is the area’s commanding officer.

Ericsson is one of the 35 officers stationed in Moorpark who serve under Williams. With less than two years until retirement, Ericsson remembers a time when he blocked highway traffic in Conejo Valley to allow livestock to cross the road.

"I think the biggest change over the past 30 years is the increase in traffic and the fact that cars are made a lot better now," Ericsson said. "But the problems are basically still the same. We still have speeders and we still have people doing too much behind the wheel, not thinking about the road."

Ericsson’s career includes patrol work in West Los Angeles, the West Valley and Ventura County. He relies less on a radar gun and high-tech computer equipment in his patrol car and even more on his own experience and old-fashioned common sense.

"I like this area because it gives me more of an opportunity to do what I like best about the job—helping people," Ericsson said. "When I worked in the inner city, I didn’t have time to give people the personal attention they deserve, whether that means giving them a ride somewhere or waiting with them for a tow truck to arrive. Here, I can do that."

Although the area the Moorpark CHP covers is not as densely populated as a major metropolis, the square mileage they patrol is very large.

At the most northern point, officers patrol Highway 126 at the Fillmore city limits to the Los Angeles County line. They cover Highway 23 from the 126 to the 101 Freeway and the 118 Freeway from the L.A. County line to Lewis Road. Along the 101, patrols run from the L.A. County line to Lewis Road in Camarillo. Officers also patrol portions of Potrero and Santa Rosa roads.

CHP officers are responsible for traffic enforcement in unincorporated areas throughout Conejo Valley, which include Oak Park and small pockets of homes between cities.

Because of limited manpower, CHP units rarely leave the major arterial roadways for neighborhood patrols unless specifically requested. By sticking to freeways, officers are better able to respond to emergencies and monitor more motorists.

Ericsson said he drives between 150 and 200 miles a day and continually gets on and off the freeway.

"I switch directions or get on and off the road so I’m not seeing the same traffic all the time," Ericsson said. "It gives me a chance to see more of what’s going on out there."

Aside from speeders and unsafe lane changes, officers keep an eye out for drivers without seatbelts, illegally tinted side windows and three-axle vehicles not driving in the far right lane.

Over the years, many motorists have developed false perceptions not only about the CHP, but also about basic rules of the road.

It’s a myth officers have monthly ticket quotas. It’s also not true the CHP targets red or yellow cars because of their color.

"Color doesn’t matter," Ericsson said. "We are looking at the car in relation to the way it’s moving with the other cars."

Another common misconception is the "flow of traffic" argument used by motorists who are stopped for speeding. To argue that your speed matched others on the road isn’t a valid excuse. The posted speed limit is the maximum speed allowed. Ericsson said the speed limit is also influenced by weather and road conditions. Even driving below the speed limit may be too fast in dangerous conditions.

Like Ericsson, most officers have heard every excuse in the book from people who want out of ticket. Very rarely do the excuses work. "It’s a lot easier to talk me into giving you a ticket than out of one," Ericsson said.

Although his worn black leather citation book sits within easy reach in the car’s center console, Ericsson prefers to use it judiciously. "Giving tickets is not something I enjoy doing. If I have to, I do, but I’d rather give someone a 25-cent lecture on what they did wrong than a ticket."

Many drivers think passing a vehicle on the right is illegal. But as long as the lane change is done safely and doesn’t cross a solid white or yellow line, it’s legal.

"One of our biggest problems out here is people cut over solid white lines before on- and off-ramps," Ericsson said. "People swerve over to get off or on the freeway at the last minute––and that’s where we have a lot of our accidents."

The CHP calls the area at the entrance of on- and off-ramps the "gore point" because so many deadly accidents occur in that small stretch of freeway. Ericsson said drivers should know a non-emergency stop along the freeway—especially in front of a ramp—is illegal and unsafe.

"It’s a dangerous place to be, and you should only be on the side of the road if your car is broken down or you’re sick and can’t drive," Ericsson said.

Over the years, Ericsson has stopped numerous truckers who used the side of the freeway as a restroom and other motorists who stopped simply to make phone calls.

Ericsson also recommends that drivers with a flat tire to idle the car slowly off the freeway. "If you go slowly, you won’t damage the car and you’ll be putting yourself in a much safer situation if you get off the freeway," Ericsson said. "It’s only when people start to drive fast and cause their rims to heat up that the friction really damages the car."

When pulling cars over on the side of the road, Ericsson said officers attempt to make sure it’s done in a safe place and try to keep drivers on their intended course.

The danger of working alongside major freeways is an everyday reality for Ericsson, who was struck in 1996 by a car he had pulled over after it was rear-ended by a teenage driver.

"You never fully get used to it," Ericsson said about working while vehicles speed past. "But if you’re aware of your surroundings, you can really make yourself a lot safer. When you hear squealing tires, you’re going to jump."

During his nearly 30-year career, Ericsson’s patrol car has been hit eight times.

In the history of California law enforcement, the CHP has the greatest number of fatalities with 198. Of those deaths, 74 percent were directly attributable to auto accidents.