Chp 180

[linuxwrangler]

Can anyone explain the use of the CHP 180 form and why it is so darn time-critical?

When I listen to Richmond PD, throughout the day I hear officers saying they are coming "10-19 with a 180". The amount of time they spend driving these papers into the station seems a bit absurd - especially since they have data-terminals. What's this form and why is it so important that they have to hand rush it back to the station instead of staying on patrol?

 

[scannerboy02]

I don't know why the rush but a 180 is a form given to the tow truck driver when they take a car on the request of the CHP.

 

[Mick]

The vehicle storage/impound form info has to be entered into CLETS within 4 hours. It's a DOJ requirement.

It is helpful to motorists whose cars have been stored while left on a freeway, or if an injured driver is transported to a hospital. Then when the motorist calls any police agency that agency can determine if the car was stored, impounded, involved in a collision, etc., in a timely manner.

 

[Big_Ears]

A bit different than a 11-85 P (Paul) - Tow Truck request for a 30 day storage (Impound).

 

[RolnCode3]

The CHP 180 is a standardized tow form. It's not a form to give to a tow truck driver. It's not a form for a 30-day hold. It's not a form to do stolen vehicles. It's not a form to do stolen vehicle recoveries.

It's all of those things combined into one form.

It's a carbonless duplicate form. It has a front sheet, 2 short copies in the middle, and a full sheet in the back. The back sheet is the tow-truck driver's copy. The 2 middles are for the R/O and L/O (legal owner) of a vehicle.

The main sheet also has a back side for stolen and stolen recoveries, that doesn't get transferred to any of the other copies.

I'd be amazed if you can't find the entire form online somewhere. I've only filled out about 20 or so of them, as we used to use a different form for stolen recoveries. There are numerous reasons that these have to be moved around quickly. Often, one officer will arrest and book a person, the other does the 180 and tows the car. The officer that did the 180 meets up and gives the form to the arresting officer, and gets back on patrol. Don't want to hang onto (and possibly lose) it. Sometimes it has to be given to the driver or R/O. And the clerical people need it quickly on 30-days because you have 10 days to contest the towing, and there's a lot of paperwork and notices that get sent out with that stuff.

And it is not just CHP that uses these. CHP provides them to all agencies that wish to use them (free of charge is my understanding). Most agencies use it. Ask almost any PD or SO officer and I'll bet they have one. I've got a whole stack of 'em...they come in boxes of like 900 copies or so. And inside the box are pads of 25 (IIRC) for easy field use.

 

[jrholm]

Frequently the rush to the station is for a stolen vehicle report (which is done on the versatile 180). So the vehicle can be entered into the computer system as stolen. This way nobody unwittingly stops a stolen vehicle. Also if the vehicle is "Lojak" equipped having it entered into the stolen vehicle system automatically activates the hidden transmitter....

 

[Sac916]

Some agencies/departments have entered the tow/stolen CLETS/SVS entries into the system before the officer clears the scene. It's all a matter of how business is done.

Some agencies still rush paper from office to office, while others transmit electronically.

 

[RolnCode3]

Frequently the rush to the station is for a stolen vehicle report (which is done on the versatile 180). So the vehicle can be entered into the computer system as stolen. This way nobody unwittingly stops a stolen vehicle. Also if the vehicle is "Lojak" equipped having it entered into the stolen vehicle system automatically activates the hidden transmitter....

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense (in my mind) to not enter it until the paperwork gets back. That's why we have radios and cell phones. I can see it happening though.

 

[jrholm]

Personally I call them in, but then I've had some secretaries who, well let's just say they were a bit hard to understand over the phone..........English Language proficiency hasn't apparently been a high priority with my agency all the time for civilian employees......

 

[linuxwrangler]

Thanks, all. I had figured out that the form involved documenting the status of a vehicle but not the details noted here. It's been a long time since I worked in law enforcement and I wasn't familiar with this specific form.

You've sort of confirmed my suspicions that this is a wasteful practice (without, of course, hearing from Richmond PD as to the reasoning). I do know I don't hear this when scanning other departments.

Given the reports that RPD is short about 50 sworn positions out of a desired level of around 200, that they are frequently looking for people to work double-shifts on overtime, that they have the communication tools available (MDT, trunked-radio systems, cell-phones), and that the currently "enjoy" the #1 position in California and #3 position in the entire country of "most dangerous city", it seems silly to take an officer off the street to shuffle a piece of paper to the office.

 

[sonticus]

You've sort of confirmed my suspicions that this is a wasteful practice (without, of course, hearing from Richmond PD as to the reasoning).

If I had to guess their reason for doing this I'd say they're trying to follow the "letter of the law" when it comes to DOJ requirements for entering something into the system. DOJ requires that agencies have documentation supporting their entries (ie a CHP 180 for a stolen vehicle entry, a warrant for a wanted person entry, etc.) in order to avoid erroneous entries, and they do audits to ensure this policy is adhered to. Maybe RPD wants to have the document in hand while making the entry for this reason, and/or to make it easier on the clerk doing the entry.

Now that's not to say that other agencies are doing it wrong, such as Antfreq's example of making the entry before the officer even arrives, as there are ways around this requirement without violating any policies. But maybe RPD just wants to play it safe. Or they have some other off-the-wall reasoning, who knows...

 

[SCPD]

Thanks, all. I had figured out that the form involved documenting the status of a vehicle but not the details noted here. It's been a long time since I worked in law enforcement and I wasn't familiar with this specific form.

You've sort of confirmed my suspicions that this is a wasteful practice (without, of course, hearing from Richmond PD as to the reasoning). I do know I don't hear this when scanning other departments.

Given the reports that RPD is short about 50 sworn positions out of a desired level of around 200, that they are frequently looking for people to work double-shifts on overtime, that they have the communication tools available (MDT, trunked-radio systems, cell-phones), and that the currently "enjoy" the #1 position in California and #3 position in the entire country of "most dangerous city", it seems silly to take an officer off the street to shuffle a piece of paper to the office.

Who is the RPD?

EDIT Answered my own question. Richmond is the number 1 most dangerous city in California?

 

[Sac916]

Who is the RPD?

EDIT Answered my own question. Richmond is the number 1 most dangerous city in California?

Statistics is dirty word.

Richmond is statistically the most dangerous city in California, surpassing Compton in 2004, and was named the 3rd most dangerous city in the country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California



.

 

[ECPD279]

I have filled out hundreds of CHP-180's. I generally call mine in because I work nights and Richmond PD Records does all our entries after hours. The majority of Richmond officers will hand carry the form to their records office because it's at the PD. We do this during the day when our records clerks are in the office.

In some cases you want to have the data entered as soon as possible. As an example, when I take a vehicle theft report, I want the vehicle listed as stolen NOW so that any officer who runs a records check on the plate will get the hit. Similarly, if I recover a stolen car and the owner drives it from the scene, I want that vehicle REMOVED from the system NOW so another officer will not take the owner of the vehicle out at gun point!

As a rule, you need to have the vehicle entered within four hours if it is impounded etc... I think someone else already mentioned that though. It is helpful for the records clerks to have the 180 in hand for impounds because they cannot release the vehicle to the registered owner if they don't have the 180, and I have seen folks at the PD to get their car released less than an hour after it was towed.

 

[SCPD]

When you see my pretty red and blue lights in your rearview mirror...

do not stop in the middle of the road and stare at my car....

MOVE TO THE RIGHT!!!!!!!!

On my first day in training to drive a patrol engine for the U.S. Forest Service I'm being shown the equipment inside the cab. I ask what the funny looking black box is to the right of the radio that has the second microphone hanging from it. Above it sits another box with a bunch of switches on it. The person training me says "here is the switch for the red rotating light and here is the switch for the siren, don't turn them on unless absolutely necessary, because when you turn on those two switches every driver in front of you loses their brains."

Its funny that I've never noticed officers talking about a 180 before. I'm quite careful to listen to everything and look up the things I don't understand or ask someone who would know. Within 2 hours of reading this thread I hear two different officers refer to the 180 when talking to the dispatcher. That is the great thing about RR, you can get information on just about anything to do with public safety as someone here usually has the experience and knowledge to answer.

 

[sonticus]

In some cases you want to have the data entered as soon as possible. As an example, when I take a vehicle theft report, I want the vehicle listed as stolen NOW so that any officer who runs a records check on the plate will get the hit. Similarly, if I recover a stolen car and the owner drives it from the scene, I want that vehicle REMOVED from the system NOW so another officer will not take the owner of the vehicle out at gun point!

Is this why people will drive it into the station? Why not just phone it in? Seems like that would be quicker. Or is it just easier to drive it?

 

[ECPD279]

It is quicker to phone it in, but as I said further along in the post, the records clerks have to have the form in order to release the car to its owner, so we try not to hang on to them long. Even if I call the info in, I still have to get the 180 to the station sooner than later.

 

[ECPD279]

On my first day in training to drive a patrol engine for the U.S. Forest Service I'm being shown the equipment inside the cab. I ask what the funny looking black box is to the right of the radio that has the second microphone hanging from it. Above it sits another box with a bunch of switches on it. The person training me says "here is the switch for the red rotating light and here is the switch for the siren, don't turn them on unless absolutely necessary, because when you turn on those two switches every driver in front of you loses their brains."

It drives me nucking futs!!

 

[jrholm]

Ohhhh, the things I've yelled over the P.A. driving code 3. Especially in communities that have a high concentration of ummmm driver's that are new to driving in this country

 

[ECPD279]

The same folks who think no license, no registration, no insurance........ NO PROBLEM!

Reminds me of a car lot in a nearby city. I drove by there several months ago and noticed they had written on the windshield of every car on the lot "No licencia, no hay problema!"

I know enough Spanglish to understand what that means!! That's the lot you sit near and tow every car that comes out of it.