CHP Patrol Boundaries

[EMTJD]

First, yes, I did search for this information before posting my question. But if I did see a link to a map it was either not possible to view it on my computer or the information was innaccurate, such as "CHP Coverage" map that I had seen years earlier.

I'm not looking for a generic map that shows "roughly" where one CHP office's area ends and the next one begins, but rather more specifically where these boundaries are. Specific freeway/highway interceptions, specific exit ramps, however it is. Does any such thing exist?

There used to be a group called SCMA (Southern California Monitoring Association) that published a monthly "magazine". The person who was the Editor of the "Southern California"-specific section used to put in specific freeway locations for each office's patrol territory, where they began, where they ended, all that. I recently asked him if he still had that info and he said he hadn't seen it in 20 years. If anyone here can help, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[norcalscan]

User KA6SQG did up a Google Earth KML file this winter with the best info out there. Post here. You will need the free Google Earth to view it, or can probably import it into a cloud mapping site like caltopo. In Google Earth you can export various views and snapshots as image files.
The data comes from cross referencing the office taking the report with the lat/lon of the incident. He did a really good job with high data resolution. Read that thread above for more. I also cross referenced some specific intersection boundaries reported in various threads here and some CHP maps I’ve seen and they’re spot on with the KML.
If you spot any discrepancies let him know in that linked thread. It takes a village...
Edit: for actual intersections, zoom in on google earth and make your own notes off of that. It’s what I did for a recent Disneyland trip and it was spot on. Some were county lines, others were intersections.

 

[EMTJD]

I wasn’t able to open that but then it seems that is because I do not have the Google Earth app. That might work, then. Thanks.

 

[norcalscan]

I wasn’t able to open that but then it seems that is because I do not have the Google Earth app. That might work, then. Thanks.

If you know Google Earth, ignore this. Otherwise here's some help, once downloaded and installed (it'll be a clean install from Google, doesn't throw junk all over the place, other than an updater app to keep it updated), open it up. You'll see Earth. Here's a quick youtube tutorial, or I have some steps below.

• Click and drag around, and zoom in with the mouse wheel.
• In the File Menu, select Open or Import. Find the KML file you downloaded and select and open it.
• You'll see "CHP Office Boundaries" pop up on Temporary Places off to the left, and Earth will shift and zoom accordingly to view the entire data (California).
• On the left, you can drag the "CHP Office Boundaries" up from Temporary Places to My Places. That "saves" it to be available next time you open Google Earth. You can also expand the KML to see each individual office, and toggle them on and off for viewing.
• Up near the top in the toolbar should be a Save Image button, which can take a snapshot of whatever your current view is. For instance, I've taken snapshots of zoomed in Bay Area and LA and saved them to my dropbox for reference when traveling across those areas.

 

[EMTJD]

I think I got it. The "toggle" is adding or taking away the colored areas, yes? And the "area" is outlined by the thin green line?

 

[norcalscan]

I think I got it. The "toggle" is adding or taking away the colored areas, yes? And the "area" is outlined by the thin green line?

I don't have it in front of me now, but I recall the toggle turning off each office, not necessarily the dispatch area. The dispatch area are simply a collection of offices. Where the colors change (corresponding to the CHP channel colors), are the boundaries of the dispatch areas. The "outline" like a thin green line would be purely cosmetic I recall. And you can edit the cosmetics by right clicking each office area on the left side and selecting properties, and can change colors, line thickness, transparency etc.

 

[kearthfan101]

I don't have it in front of me now, but I recall the toggle turning off each office, not necessarily the dispatch area. The dispatch area are simply a collection of offices. Where the colors change (corresponding to the CHP channel colors), are the boundaries of the dispatch areas. The "outline" like a thin green line would be purely cosmetic I recall. And you can edit the cosmetics by right clicking each office area on the left side and selecting properties, and can change colors, line thickness, transparency etc.

It was also pretty easy to add folders of each Dispatch Center to select certain ones. Helps to really learn those areas better.