Best thread in a long time? Yeah, I'm biased!! :)
 

Mike, have you made this a sticky thread yet? LOL It probably won't need it, but just in case... :)

It's already got a 5 star rating on it! I didn't even know we had a rating system here!!

Steve.... The truck that is in the background on the first pic belongs to Hank Good. He is known all over the country as Highway Hank. He lives somewhere in NY, and still owns the truck. It was a famous show truck thru the 80's and used in a movie once. There is many pics posted on the net of that truck. Love the stories. Keep em coming!

And here is a pic of the truck taken back in the day that I found off the net. It is parked next to one of the original trucks used in the TV show BJ and the Bear. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...:0&tx=91&ty=69

Dang! The coincidences just keep coming. I knew that his name was Hank Goode, but I didn't know anything else. The day those pics were taken I had driven into the rest area (we were encouraged to patrol them) and got out of the car. I was on foot patrol, showing the colors; Hank asked me if he could take some pics of the car. He said he has a photo collection of patrol cars from all over the country. I figured, that's cool, he's a long distance trucker, no problem. I had no idea he was famous. The rest...is history!

Hank sent copies of the pics to the Los Banos CHP office, along with a nice letter. That's how I got my copies. I still have a copy of the letter. That makes the whole story even more interesting! Thanks very much for that information!

Me either until a couple days ago when the lit up stars above the thread caught my eye and so I proceeded to add my own 5 star vote to this thread as well! :2thumbs:

Your welcome, and thats an awesome story!

Learn something new every day. :)

I voted as well.

Sounds like we need to get in touch with him.....I bet he has tons of in-service Mustang pics.

Steve,

great story about herding the animals...I have had to do that a few times myself over the years... Maybe some day I will recite the story of tying a dazed deer to my 82 Diplomat with my hobble restraint. Dumb rookies can make mistakes like that at times.... lol.. Believe me it was not pretty when the deer "came to"...

great thread here guys !!

I know what you mean about the deer, Jim. One time on patrol I came across one that had been hit by a vehicle and was down, in the roadway, not moving at all. I thought it was dead; I was calling for DOT to come out and remove the body. All of the sudden it got up and took off at warp speed. I can only imagine what would have happened if it had been restrained in any way!

Hank Goode
 

Mike, shouldn't be hard to contact Highway Hank. He's on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Here's a link to his website:

http://highwayhank.multiply.com/

He lives in Monticello, New York. He's probably got a fantastic collection of vintage patrol car photos.

The Twilight Zone???
 

One night I was patrolling Northbound on Interstate 5, in the middle of nowhere. I5 in this area is a four-lane concrete freeway, two lanes in each direction, with a wide (about 40') dirt center divider and paved shoulders. At night during the week there isn't much traffic, mostly trucks, and so speeds tend to be high. In this area the road is almost flat and straight for about 10 miles in either direction. It was a clear night so I should have been able to see tail lights and truck running lights for miles ahead, framed by the bright starry night. But something was very wrong; dead ahead there was a black void. I could see the lights of approaching cars on the left, twinkling lights from the valley on the right, and the star canopy above. But immediately in front, at ground level, where the taillights of trucks should be seen, there was absolutely nothing. Just a void, an emptiness, as though someone had cut a rectangular piece out of a photo. This was beyond odd. What was happening on my beat? Was this a portal to another dimension? A wormhole in space? Was the next stop the "Twilight Zone"? I don't listen much to late-night talk radio and I'm not into UFO stories, but this was seriously weird.
As I continued, the void loomed slightly larger. Then it appeared I was getting close to something I could actually see. I turned on the high-beam headlights. The color of the void began to change from black to dark gray. Then I began to see shapes, lines...this thing wasn't a space portal, it was an object! But what? As I closed on it the answer was apparent: I was looking at the undercarriage of a 40' semitrailer, which had flipped onto its left side and was at rest completely covering both lanes at an almost perfect perpendicular angle. The trailer extended from the center divider all the way across both lanes and onto the shoulder, totally blocking the northbound lanes. The underside was dark and covered with road dirt, and with no lights on it was not readily visible to approaching traffic at a distance. The accident had apparently occurred within minutes because steam and smoke was still rising and I was the only one at the scene. I quickly activated every source of emergency light available plus the emergency flasher lights, and the red spotlight facing backward to give as much warning as possible to approaching traffic. I then located the tractor and verified that the driver was okay. I reported it to dispatch and called for a big rig tow asap then laid out a long flare pattern that merged traffic into the number one lane, then into the center divider and around the wreck. By the time the flare pattern was complete there was so much light there it could be seen for miles. Approaching trucks were coming in slow and careful; I'm certain the CB channel was busy.
I again contacted the driver who exited the cab by breaking out what was left of the windshield. He was shaken but unhurt. He had fallen asleep and the rig jacknifed, coming to rest on its side. It took both the medium and big rig tow trucks available in Los Banos to get the rig back onto its wheels and off the highway. Fortunately no one was injured and no other vehicles became involved. I felt very fortunate to have been first on the scene, in a position to immediately stabilize the situation and reduce the danger. I could just imagine a car with some family coming back from a long day at Disneyland, driving fast to get home, perhaps sleepy, rolling up on that hazard and seeing it much too late. It still gives me chills to think of what tragedy easily could have happened that night.

Thanks....I'll shoot him a message and see what he says. :thumbsup:

I've always worried about the kind of accident you described above....I think that they are one of the most dangerous you could ever roll up on.

Hi Steve,

For your interest -

There was this 82 CHP that was listed just months ago on many Mustang forums, including this one (and it has sold as of March 2011). It was pretty much an original unit purchased right from CA. The below link has pictures of it and despite it's age & condition, it was in really great condition.

I'm not sure how the Seller's CHP # 0513 would correlate with an "E" number though...?

http://www.specialservicemustang.net...ead.php?t=3042

Thanks for sharing your pics, stories and info, definitely really interesting!

Cobra Jet, that would be E870513. Mine is either E850567 or E870567. Don't know. My assignment card got lost in the mail. :(

Hi Cobra Jet, I think I saw that one (too late). Well maybe 870255 will show up, or Mike will decide to sell his '82...

Wolfe, your vehicle I believe was E870567. I am guessing that the E plate numbers were sequential, and as '82 was the first year, the E850 numbers would have been before the Mustangs. Guessing again, I'll say E850567 was probably a Dodge Diplomat.

Doing some math, and assuming 567 was the very last '82 Mustang, and since CHP bought 406 '82s first would have been 161. Could not have been all the way back to E850 by that reasoning.

I think I have one more pic of 870255, taken from the front. When (if) I find it I'll post it.

-Steve

Hey, Steve. My car served with yours!!! E870567 served out of Los Banos (461).

My assignment card arrived in the mail today. I thought it was lost forever.

E870567 entered service 03/28/83 and retired 04/04/85.

Any way you could help me pin down the car's driver since you worked with him/her?

I'll post more in my car's thread.

Greg

Hi Phil,

I think 0513 would have had a plate number of E870513. I'll check out the link.

Glad you liked the stories.

Steve

Hello Greg,

That's a real coincidence. As I recall we had 3 or 4 Mustangs assigned to Los Banos since we did so much high speed work there. I used to put anywhere from 100 to 200+ miles per day on a vehicle as the area was big.

I remember all the guys that worked there, but I don't know who had what vehicle assigned by number. If it wasn't for the photos I wouldn't have remembered 870255. That was 27 years ago...But you know, every once in a great while I will stop by the office in Los Banos. If I can get by there in the daytime I'll go in and identify myself and see if they have any records. A shot in the dark, and I don't know what info they will release if any. But I'll give it a try.

That's very cool that you have an '82.

That would be appreciated more than you will ever know, Steve. This just ramped up the excitement 100x.

I'm in contact with the former driver of my Colorado State Patrol Camaro and it would be great if I could find out more information on the '82 CHP and maybe find it's driver.

Visit to Motor Transport
 

Hello Everyone and happy July 4th!

Today I was able to stop in at CHP Motor Transport during business hours. I go right by it twice a week, but almost always late at night. What I was looking for was any help or information on identifying the early Mustangs. I identified myself and the staff there was very friendly and helpful. Robert Reed was not there, and neither was the person who maintains a filing system of cards for vehicles. So what I was able to find out:

1. CHP has a Fleet management system that is computerized, but it goes back only 11 years. Couldn't help me there.
2. We put in a call to DMV in Sacramento, but their records only go back 8 years for vehicles that are no longer registered or Non-operation notified.
3. DMV has a historical office in Sacramento that was once able to help Dick Clark (the celebrity) get info on a vehicle from the 1950s.

So I'll go back again when Robert Reed and the other guy are there and see what I can do. Then I'll head to the DMV historical office. Mike, I will be looking for 0559 info also, and Wolfe, next time I go by the Los Banos area office I'll stop in there and do some research for you.

One more thing: it has been mentioned somewhere here that the current ex-CHP vehicles are really not worth buying because they are thrashed. That is so true; if you were thinking about a run out Crown Vic, forget it. There is no longer any set mileage for turning in vehicles, now they drive them until they fall apart. I saw about a dozen of them sitting in the sale lot, and they sure looked like it. About the only thing they looked to be useful for is taxicabs in Tijuana.

Thanks Steve...we definitely appreciate the help! Happy 4th to you as well.

Yes, thanks, Steve!! It's a start and any progress is good. I'll be glad to get any information from Los Banos that I can.

Happy Fourth!

Greg

Steve, thanks for taking the time to stop into Motor Transport in your search for historical documentation on the CHP Mustangs. I hope that you can connect with Robert Read on your next visit. Your efforts (and stories) are very much appreciated.

I will pm you the particulars on my 1982 also to see if you can find anything for me too.

Another Story
 

Just got back into the San Jose Area after a long July 4th weekend (lots and lots of guests, BBQed all weekend) so before I hit the rack I thought it might be time for another story.

I was working Graveyard shift one weeknight in the Los Banos area with a partner. In those days, Los Banos had only one unit to cover the entire area on Graveyard shift, and as were all CHP Graveyard units, it was a 2-man unit. Being it was such a huge area to cover, and only one car, you would never have time to check all the beats. So the focus would be on checking the 70-mile stretch of Interstate 5 that was in the LB area, responding to radio calls, and as for all Graveyard units, looking for drunk drivers. Except that on I5 there were never many drunks. Especially during the week, it was mostly just truck traffic.

So we're checking the beat, going S/B on I5 from State Route 152 about 15 miles S/of 152, in the #2 lane at 75 MPH, when suddenly another vehicle comes flying up behind us, gets on our bumper, and stays there. I was driving a marked unit, a Dodge Diplomat, with a light bar, black and white paint, decals, everything. So I figure this is a motorist trying to get our attention, probably to report an emergency up the road somewhere. I'm waiting for flashing high-beams, or anything, to indicate this. Not that we're excited about pulling over in the middle of nowhere and having another vehicle pull in behind us, in a tactically very disadvantageous position. But it happens.

But this one just stayed there, on our bumper, nothing else. So I accelerated to 85. He stayed right with us. I slowed down to 55. He stayed on our bumper. Now we're getting interested; this is either someone who is very seriously impaired, or he's got something very bad planned. By this time we were getting close to Panoche Road, the last gas exit for 40 miles or so. The exit goes to a large, well-lighted area with several all-night gas stations and some restaraunts. This was a good place to exit and see what happened. As we exited sure enough the other vehicle followed. As we turned onto Panoche road I suddenly swerved to the right and onto a large paved shoulder area just to see what the other driver did. My partner had the shotgun; we're ready for anything that may happen.

Then the other vehicle passed by and the solo white male driver never even looked over at us, appearing to not even be aware that we were there. He pulled into a gas station and stopped at the pumps, exiting his vehicle as we pulled in behind and lit him up. As you may have already guessed, the driver was very intoxicated. He had never even noticed he was tailgaiting a marked patrol car and in fact did not see us as he passed by. For his lack of perception and attention to detail, plus violation of CVC 23152(a), he was provided with complimentary lodging in the Los Banos city jail for the night.

The story was unusual enough so after the arrest report was reviewed everyone knew about it. For the next month or so we heard, over and over again: "You guys can't even find any drunks, so they have to find you?"

This reminds me of that episode of Real Stories Of The Highway Patrol where the officer witnessed someone overtaking him from behind at night, then matching his speed. He sped up and slowed down in the same manner as you, then pulled over to let the car go by. He pulled back out, made the traffic stop and wrote her a ticket. She was NOT drunk, as I recall. Just not too bright. LOL

Progress Made
 

Last Friday I stopped in again at CHP Motor Transport and talked with Robert Read. With his help I was able to get the assignment card for 870255, which has the VIN number (and it is accurately listed in the VIN database area of this site) plus the history, sales price, all relevant dates, color painted (blue) and other info. So now I have enough info to start the search in earnest.

I was also able to get the assignment card for NoDrama43's '82, which I will be sending to him next week.

So a huge thank you to Robert Read!

Now this is getting more interesting. I thought I had hit a brick wall but a door opened up.

That's great news, Steve. That would be so awesome to reunite you with your car. And cudos for finding another '82 assignment card. Yours, Jim's and mine exist...anyone else?? Mike's is out there somewhere.

Best of luck in your search.

Great news...thanks for your efforts and good luck tracking down your '82.

That is because the CHP crushed all of their parts cars and wrecks, even cars with minor damage, so they now don't have the parts to keep their cars going.
Btw my dad has an 82 CHP mustang #0300, any info you find just shoot me a PM and let me know. Thanks,
Sam.

Steve I want to thank you for taking time out from your day to do this for me. I am very excited to see if their is any "tail hook" information on the card. I was able to confirm 425 as being Sonora CA. I will do some more research after I get the card from you.

If I can ever be of any assistance please contact me. I have a huge favor to return now !!!!! Great stuff !! :)

It's called pay it forward Jim
You have done good things for the ssp community
and in return the ssp community has done a good
thing for you.:)

I'll work on Mike's next. I also need to learn how to decode the information on those cards. There are various symbols and notations that it is not apparent what they mean.

Steve, I think that it is GREAT that you were able to successfully connect with Robert Read and find the Assignment Card for the SSP that you drove while in-service. Good luck in trying to track the vehicle down. Hopefully, you can use the VIN to run a CarFax and determine where the car is located.

And I would like to thank you for volunteering your time to go to Motor Transport to look for the cards for other SSP owners. It sounds like there are still some hiding there, although most cards from that era are probably lost forever. Still, thanks for doing that!

I am glad to help others in this forum when I can. If I find my car I'll probably be needing lots of advice and assistance for restoration. If we all work together we can get some good things done.

Is Carfax the best way to locate a vehicle nationally by VIN? I ran the VIN through the California DMV smog records with nothing back, so wither the car was put into storage and non-oped and never smogged in California, or perhaps went right to an out of State buyer.

What would you guys recommend for a National search by VIN?

870255's VIN Number
 

So my assigned '82, the one I am looking for, has a VIN number of:

1FABP10FXCF213124

At sale time, it was painted blue and had a vinyl top added.

There it is! If anyone knows where this vehicle is, you'll have a friend for life here in California if you let me know.

Another interesting factoid about this vehicle: It went from Sacramento to Central Division HQ, where it was for 2 months before being assigned to Los Banos area in January 1983. That's when it was assigned to me and I drove it until August of 1984, which is when it was sent back to Motor Transport for sale (and I was assigned an '84 Mustang). So except for a brief stop at Central HQ, I drove that vehicle for its entire time in the field and was the only one who drove it regularly for road patrol.

Update
 

I ran the VIN through the California smog check database and it came up. It was smogged in February, 2001 in Sonora, CA. It passed. So I know at least at that time it still existed and was in California.

Got the scans of my assignment card 2 day. Good stuff. I will post it up tonight when I get home.

Thanks again steve.:2thumbs: