Willits resident Gabriel Madrigal was sworn in as a new California Highway Patrol officer, and a new “low-profile” SUV patrol vehicle has been deployed in Mendocino County, the CHP recently announced.
CHP Officer Gabriel Madrigal (Contributed – CHP photo)In a press release, the CHP described Madrigal as graduating “from Ukiah High School in 2020 before attending Mendocino Community College, where he received his Associate of Science Degree in Allied Health. Prior to attending the CHP Academy, Officer Madrigal was a Corrections Deputy for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.”
Madrigal has been assigned to the CHP’s Ukiah Area office after successfully completing cadet training at the CHP Academy, where the CHP said that training for cadets starts “with nobility in policing, leadership, professionalism and ethics, and cultural diversity. Training also includes mental illness response and crisis intervention techniques, (and) cadet instruction covers patrol operations, crash investigation, first aid, and the arrest of suspected violators, including those who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The cadets also receive training in traffic control, report writing, recovery of stolen vehicles, assisting the motoring public, issuing citations, emergency scene management, and knowledge of various codes including the Vehicle Code, Penal Code, and Health and Safety Code.”
Another new addition to the Ukiah Area CHP is a “2024 Dodge Durango Special Marked Patrol Vehicle,” one of numerous “low-profile” SUVs that the state law enforcement agency announced it was adding to its fleet in an effort to reduce the kind of “reckless and hazardous driving (that) can only be described as ‘video game-styled'” on highways.
“The new vehicles give our officers an important advantage,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee was quoted as saying in a press release. “They will allow us to identify and stop drivers who are putting others at risk, while still showing a professional and visible presence once enforcement action is needed.”
The CHP explained that the new SUVs, “paired with our existing high-performance fleet … blend into traffic just enough to observe the most reckless and dangerous behaviors without immediate detection. With over 390,000 crashes annually in California, and nearly 1,000 daily reports of reckless driving, these new tools will help our officers hold the most egregious violators accountable.”
The CHP added that in 2024, its officers “issued almost 18,000 citations to drivers speeding over 100 miles per hour,” and explained that “speed is a factor in approximately 30% of all crashes, and a major contributor to traffic fatalities and injuries,” noting that speeding “is particularly dangerous because it decreases reaction time, extends stopping distance, and intensifies the severity of crashes.”
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