Over the past couple of weeks, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) made headlines with several notable incidents, including a task force takedown, a cliffside rescue in Big Sur, 13 pounds of trouble on the interstate, boosting traffic safety in Merced and a technology triumph.
Child Safety
While driving near the CHP’s Merced Area office recently, Sergeant Nelda Banuelos spotted a young boy standing unrestrained in the back seat of a passing vehicle, waving at her. Recognizing the safety risk, she immediately conducted a traffic stop and discovered the child’s car seat was improperly fitted. With the CHP office just around the corner, Sgt. Banuelos—a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician—asked the driver to pull in, provided a properly fitting booster seat, and ensured it was safely and correctly installed, turning a routine drive into a lifesaving intervention.
Task Force Crackdown
Since launching in February 2024, the CHP Oakland Safe Streets Task Force has made significant strides in combating crime across the Bay Area—recovering 3,217 stolen vehicles, arresting 1,823 individuals, and seizing 170 illegal firearms, as announced by Governor Newsom. On April 11, CHP officers tracked two reckless dirt bike riders in the Fruitvale District with help from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Air Operations; one was arrested at a gas station, while the other fled to San Francisco and was captured after a short standoff. Both were booked on multiple charges, including felony evasion and resisting arrest. That same day, officers stopped a gray Pontiac Grand Prix with no plates near International Blvd and 64th Ave. They discovered illegal narcotics and a loaded firearm—both the parolee driver and his passenger were arrested and booked into Santa Rita Jail on multiple felony charges.
Air Crew Rescue
On April 14, a CHP helicopter launched a daring hoist rescue on the Pine Ridge Trail in Big Sur after a hiker fell from a cliff and suffered serious injuries. The flight crew quickly landed to pick up a Big Sur Fire Department helicopter rescue technician, who, along with a CHP flight officer/paramedic, was lowered to the remote scene where California State Parks personnel had already located the patient. Navigating dense forest and deploying 164 feet of hoist cable, the crew skillfully maneuvered between towering trees to reach the injured hiker. After a successful extraction, the patient was flown to a landing zone and transferred to Cal Star Helicopter 5 from Salinas for further medical care.
Highway Bust
A CHP K9 unit stopped a silver 2024 Buick Enclave for a traffic violation on northbound Interstate 5 at Nees Avenue in Fresno County on April 10. The officer immediately detected a strong odor of burnt cannabis coming from the vehicle, and a probable cause search revealed approximately 13 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden in the rear cargo area. Officers arrested all three occupants at the scene and turned the case over to the Fresno High Impact Investigations Team. The suspects were later booked into the Fresno County Jail on charges of possession of cocaine for sale and transportation of cocaine across noncontiguous counties.
Tech-Driven Triumph
On April 16, the CHP’s Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) Support Team received the prestigious Team Leadership Award at the California Public Sector CIO Academy, held at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. Presented by Government Technology during the Academy’s 20th anniversary celebration, the award recognized the team’s outstanding work in modernizing the CHP’s CAD systems—efforts that have significantly boosted operational efficiency and elevated public safety services across the state.
