112 new officers sworn in as part of CHP’s recruiting campaign to fill 1,000 vacant officer positions

(SACRAMENTO) 112 new California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers were sworn in on September 1 to be deployed statewide to protect the public on California roadways. These newest members of the CHP were part of the agency's multiyear recruiting campaign to fill 1,000 vacant officer positions across the state.

112 officers, including 8 women, were sworn in by CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento. They would report for duty on September 11 to CHP's 103 area offices throughout California.

"These new officers represent the best of California. I’m grateful for their service and their unmatched commitment to improving public safety in every corner of our state,” said Governor Gavin Newsom who offered a welcoming message to the graduating class of 112 CHP officers.

“I applaud these men and women for dedicating themselves to public service, and their commitment to protecting the people of California,” said CHP Commissioner Duryee. “As cadets, we provide them with an extensive amount of training to ensure they are up to the task of providing the highest level of safety, service, and security that is expected from our department.”

CHP is the largest state police agency in the country with over 6,600 sworn officers deployed across California. CHP officers enforce the California’s vehicle, penal, health and safety codes for the safety of all Californians.

According to the data from Census 2020, the largest ethnic group in California is Hispanic with 39% of the statewide population, while white is 35%, Asian 15%, and Black 5%.

The CHP's demographic data from 2019 indicated that white officers were the majority of the force with 63%. Hispanic officers came second with 25%. Asian was around 5% and Black was 3%.

In 2022, “the CHP 1,000” campaign was launched to recruit diverse applicants to serve at the agency. A new law, SB 90, was enacted in January 2023 to remove the requirement of peace officers in California being U.S. citizens or permanent residents when they apply for the job. The new law was also aimed to hire more diverse and bilingual officers to meet the demand of sworn officers shortage among law enforcement agencies.

On June 30, 2023, 101 new CHP officers were sworn in as part of "the CHP 1000" hiring campaign after an 26-week training. The applications are still accepted online at recruitment.chp.ca gov.