Remember old school cop shows where the bad guy would make it to the county line while he’s being chased by the local sheriff?
The bad guy would literally cross the line, stop, turn around, and mercilessly mock the now-despondent sheriff. The bad guy would say something to the effect of, “Yer out of yer jurisdiction, sheriff!” And then he’d spit his tabaccy (I assume that’s the proper Hillbilly vernacular) out and wipe his face all victorious-like.
Yeah, that’s basically Hollywood bullshit.
The truth is (at least in the state of California), I am a sworn peace officer with all the appropriate powers thereof. That means that when I’m on my way to traffic court five miles and two towns away, I can make a traffic stop on surface streets or the freeway, my town or another.
When I make these stops and I’m wearing a different uniform than [insert city here], I often get odd looks and the driver will say, “But you’re from the Town.”
To which I reply, “Yup. But the State has seen fit to let me do this from stem to stern across the whole blessed state.” (Or something closely approximate to that rejoinder.)
I say all that so you have an idea that cops are basically one gigantic team all trying to accomplish the same mission...for the most part.
There are some distinct differences, though, and I felt it incumbent upon me to educate you on them.
Here are 5 ways to tell where a cop works:
1) Uniform Color/Patches
This one is pretty obvious. I already mentioned that on some traffic stops, a driver may notice the patch on my sleeve is different from the jurisdiction in which the stop occurred. Bully for that guy/gal. They’re paying attention...and they’re still getting cited.
2) Who takes the report
This is a more subtle art to which most folks aren’t privy. A great way to figure out where a cop works is when an incident (be it a crime or a crash) occurs close to jurisdictional boundaries. You’d be amazed at how hard we work to make sure the right agency takes the report. Make no mistake, it isn’t because we want statistics to be accurately reflected. No, no. We don’t particularly enjoy reports. I don’t think a week goes by in which I’ll get dispatched to a crash and I am quick to correct dispatch with “That’ll be CHPs.” And then I laugh maniacally. Because I’m evil.
3) The look on the cop’s face
Perfect example: Years ago, a crime occurred on the freeway and the CHP officer was flummoxed, to say the least. When it comes to traffic laws/enforcement, CHP is the undisputed champion; however, crimes? Not so much. If there’s a fatal crash and it falls to CHP, they’ll have the freeway open in a matter of a couple of hours; whereas in municipalities, the road may be closed for 8-10 hours while the investigation is carried on. That’s not because one agency is better than the other. It’s simply a function of CHP needing to avoid more crashes by rubberneckers and prevent huge traffic snarls. So, if the cop looks completely lost, odds are whatever he’s handling isn’t his usual cup of tea (or he/she is a rookie).
4) Swagger
This one can be hard to define and relies on where the swagger is witnessed. It’s also closely related to the look on the cop’s face, just as the opposite side of the coin. When I roll up on some heinous grinder (debris everywhere, bodies strewn about, wailing, and gnashing of teeth), it doesn’t really phase me much because I’ve seen it before. This may not necessarily be reflective of where I work, but perhaps more specific to my assignment. Not to beat the recently departed equine, but you’ll notice a certain swagger with old school CHP officers when they are on scene on a freeway crash that would send most cops into fits.
5) Who they make fun of
There are differing responsibilities as a cop dependent upon where one works. CHP is traffic heavy. It’s in their friggin’ name: Highway. County agencies typically don’t handle traffic, but they are often responsible for unincorporated areas, staffing jails, and staffing courts. Municipalities handle crimes (like county) and traffic (at least inside their city). Thus, CHP is often teased with the acronym Can’t Handle Police work or Coffee Has Priority (which is accurate, by the way). When CHP drops off a body at the jail, they may be heard to tease the deputy sheriff about being stuck working in the jail for God knows how many years before they can hit the streets. And so it goes.
All of this can be summed up rather succinctly by merely referring you to the opus that is Super Troopers and the constant grief served up between the city and highway cops. For more insight into the intricacies shenanigans that sail through the mind of a cop and a medic, be sure to subscribe to my podcast (with my co-host, Justin Schorr aka the Happy Medic).
