I've been going through the miscellaneous threads on structure of CHP Unit Designations and Callsigns but there doesn't seem to be a whole bunch on the Valley Division. I was wondering if anyone would know how each of the SAC based offices (North, East, South and Woodland) would based their Callsigns and incorporate the special unit designations within them, more specifically supervisors, K-9s, Commercial Enforcement, and Capitol protection. (IE Officer assigned to N Sac Office would be 46-xx-xx). If more clarification is needed, please ask and I will do my best to clarify better.
California Highway Patrol Unit Designations and Callsigns
- Thread starter AMcMullan
- Start date
2k1typeSH
Member
There are a few different channels used in the Sacramento area.
Black channel has South Sacramento (112-xx), East Sacramento (58-xx), and Woodland (47-xx) units.
Gold channel has North Sacramento (46-xx) units.
Capitol units have a UHF separate channel and are 300-xx units.
The callsign for patrol officers has two parts. The prefix is the office the unit is from and the second part is the beat the officer is assigned to patrol. For example, 47-11 is a Woodland unit assigned to beat 11. Occasionally, units may use Adam, Boy, or Charles at the end of their callsign. This is used during times when there is overlap between shifts. This designation is used to clarify which shift the unit is assigned to (A=day shift, B=swing shift, C=graveyard shift). 47-11A would be a Woodland unit working beat 11 on dayshift.
Supervisors are "S" units. S numbers are assigned based on seniority at that office., the lower the number, the more seniority that supervisor has. For example, 58-S1 would be senior to 58-S2.
Specialty units, such as K-9 and commercial units, are assigned to division and operate on the channel that covers the area they are working in. If a commercial unit is working in the South Sacramento area, that unit would use South Sacramento's channel (Black). Commercial units will use "Commercial" in their callsign (ex: Commerical 202).
K9 units use "K9" or "King" callsigns (ex: K94 or King 21). They also use the channel covering the area they are working.
Other units assigned to Valley Division (Public Information Officers, Recruiters, etc.) use the "Valley" callsign, followed by a number (ex: Valley 240).
You may also hear aircraft on these channels. Air is a fixed wing aircraft and "H" is a helicopter. For example, Air21 or H24.
Black channel has South Sacramento (112-xx), East Sacramento (58-xx), and Woodland (47-xx) units.
Gold channel has North Sacramento (46-xx) units.
Capitol units have a UHF separate channel and are 300-xx units.
The callsign for patrol officers has two parts. The prefix is the office the unit is from and the second part is the beat the officer is assigned to patrol. For example, 47-11 is a Woodland unit assigned to beat 11. Occasionally, units may use Adam, Boy, or Charles at the end of their callsign. This is used during times when there is overlap between shifts. This designation is used to clarify which shift the unit is assigned to (A=day shift, B=swing shift, C=graveyard shift). 47-11A would be a Woodland unit working beat 11 on dayshift.
Supervisors are "S" units. S numbers are assigned based on seniority at that office., the lower the number, the more seniority that supervisor has. For example, 58-S1 would be senior to 58-S2.
Specialty units, such as K-9 and commercial units, are assigned to division and operate on the channel that covers the area they are working in. If a commercial unit is working in the South Sacramento area, that unit would use South Sacramento's channel (Black). Commercial units will use "Commercial" in their callsign (ex: Commerical 202).
K9 units use "K9" or "King" callsigns (ex: K94 or King 21). They also use the channel covering the area they are working.
Other units assigned to Valley Division (Public Information Officers, Recruiters, etc.) use the "Valley" callsign, followed by a number (ex: Valley 240).
You may also hear aircraft on these channels. Air is a fixed wing aircraft and "H" is a helicopter. For example, Air21 or H24.
Does CHP only assign 1 unit per beat? I imagine it would be confusing if every unit on the same beat had the same call sign.
What about Captains and Lieutenants? Like I know Division Command for Valley would be "Valley-X" but what would Captains and Lieutenants on an office level be?
2k1typeSH
Member
Yes, one unit per beat, per shift. Beats are covered based upon staffing for that shift. The more units working, the more beats that are covered. There are times when staffing is low and units are covering multiple beats, but still maintain the callsign for their primary beat.
A captain would be “C” (example: 46-C).
Lieutenants are “L” (example: 47-L). If there is more than one lieutenant at the office, they will use numbers based on seniority the same way sergeants do. For example, 46-L1 and 46-L2.
Add “COZEE” and “SacCAT” units to the list.
2k1typeSH
Member
Correct, COZEEP, MAZEEP, and SacCAT are there too.
Also, Xray and Robert units, which are extra/special enforcement units.
I know what Mazeep is but what is COZEE and SacCat?
From what I can tell and have read, Roberts are roving units but what are Xray's?
The Adam "A" or Boy "B" designations after the unit number designates a second unit assigned to that same beat not as a shift designator with the exception of the "C" known as "Charlie" units working early evening to early morning (1900-0330) when the officers were working an 8-hour shifts. Some Areas would use "X" instead of the "C" and some Areas would use "G" for the graveyard units.
Also, some Areas designated their Beats by either Line Beats or Area Beats. Line Beats are normally a stretch of a specific roadway such as a major county road or State Highway and of course Freeways. Area Beats usually use a radio callsign of a single or a double numerical number. Since, 47-11 was mentioned above, "11" is a radio call for the Woodland Area units working Area Beat "1" which is in around the non-incorporated area near the City of West Sacramento. Woodland Area has three Area Beats.
The freeway line Beat is "10" thus using the radio callsign "47-10" which runs from the Sacramento River/Yolo/Sacramento County Line to the Yolo/Solano County Line.
In the Santa Ana Area, that Area has an Area Beat "2" and that radio callsign would be "86-2", "86" is the Radio Prefix for Santa Ana and "2" is the Area Beat number for the unincorporated Area of and around the Cities of Santa Ana and Tustin.
As for the Freeway Beats, most Areas (not all) usually will designated their Freeway line Beats incoporating the State Highway Number as the radio callsign for their units. I.E. The South Sacramento Area uses Beat numbers 151 and 152 for US 50 Freeway Line Beats and 191 and 192 for the S.R. 99 Freeway Line Beats. Per policy, they cannot use "99" as any radio callsign or Area prefix designator on the "Air".
I could go on-and-on with the meaning of the CHPs radio callsigns. A majority of their radio callsigns are not arbitrary numbers just picked out-of-the-air (no pun). Their numbers have a meaning related to a highway designator or a Command location code.
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