Area commander Brent Newman and two officers join up
Gilroy – It was just a temporary thing, Brent Newman thought: a brief side trip from his intended path, medicine. Fresh out of college, he joined the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to get trained as an emergency medical technician, and to earn some money before medical school. He didn’t realize he’d fallen for the job, he says, until four years later, when he was still working at CHP. And loving it.
“We make an impact,” said Newman. “People modify their behavior, based on interacting with us. They slow down. They buckle up … Everyone has a highway patrol story.”
Eighteen years later, Newman is the new area commander at the CHP’s Gilroy/Hollister Office. Like the freeways, his job spans city and county lines, from San Juan Bautista to south San Jose, and from Dinosaur Point across San Benito County.
Newman was promoted to the position from the headquarters division in Sacramento, where he helped review CHP policies from vehicle theft to accident reconstruction. His new job gives him responsibility for “everything that happens, traffic-wise” on area roads: a major boost in autonomy and authority for Newman. In Sacramento, his supervisor sat 10 feet away; here, his boss is a two-and-a-half hour drive away, in a San Luis Obispo office.
Gilroy’s juxtaposition of big-city amenities and small-town manners smoothed the transition, said Newman, who selected Gilroy/Hollister from a list of California sites. Relationships matter here – but there’s also the premium outlet shopping.
Newman was hired a month ago, along with two new officers, Craig Barnes and Shaun Ranney. Statewide, the CHP is rapidly recruiting and hiring, with 179 new cadets hired last week. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just approved 240 more patrol officers statewide, but hiring hasn’t kept pace with the CHP’s needs, said public information officer Chris Armstrong.
“Approximately 30 officers a month retire or quit the department,” Armstrong said. “When we lose 30 experienced officers a month, 240 isn’t even going to fill that. Right now, we have the same number of officers currently as we had back in 1969.”
Gilroy’s office isn’t expanding, said Newman, but he hopes it will in the future, as traffic thickens on local roads. Highway patrol officers save lives, he says: by curbing the speed-demons on the freeway, by buckling seat belts and aiding stranded motorists.
Years ago, in Los Angeles County, he watched traffic slow and accidents dwindle when he took over a notoriously speedy road. He left for a week, and the accidents increased. He returned to patrol, and they dropped off.
“Some of those accidents are fatal,” said Newman. “But even when you’re in a fender-bender, it’s a significant life event. They’ll remember it for the rest of their life. And that’s why everyone has a highway patrol story.”
