CHP Open House

Officer Kuhlmann demonstrates how his passive alert drug-sniffing German Shepherd Helden protects him if a person is sneaking up behind him. Officer Bostrom, whose partner is a Belgian Malinois named Fargo, is wearing the protective puffy suit. Five-year-old Helden can smell drugs at great distances and when they are concealed in places like vacuum bags inside axle grease or in laundry detergent. When he finds drugs, he sits down quietly and wags his tail.

Kyla Moore, 8, of Mojave checking out Lancaster-based Sgt. M. Morrin's service Harley-Davidson.

Officer Services Supervisor 1 Vicki Acosta (partially obscured in the back), brought her family to the open house. They watch John Perales attempt the field sobriety test while wearing special goggles that simulate body alcohol content of .07 to .10 (driving skills impaired). Others are Jose Acosta (plaid shirt), Olivia Acosta, Arthur Acosta, Myra Trute and Kassandra Acosta (not shown). Officer Luke McCorkendale said that officers spend 15 minutes conversing with and field-testing a person they have stopped before effecting an arrest.

20-year CHP veteran A.C. Strachan shows the gear that officers carrry in their cars, incuding shovels, a spike strip to stop fleeing vehicles, long jumper cables that can reach around a disabled car from the CHP vehicle, traffic cones and dolls and teddy bears to comfort injured children or children who are frightened when a drunken parent is arrested.

The public enjoying the less lethal shotgun and taser demonstrations (No, they did not actually taser anyone). The "rubber bullets" actually are little bags of lead that make a serious-sounding clunk when they hit a metal target