Merced CHP commander is the first woman in the job

The California Highway Patrol recently named a new commanding officer for the Merced-area office.

A graduate of Mariposa County High, Capt. Becky Hagen, who was appointed in February, is also the first woman to be in the commanding position for the Merced area, according to CHP.

Hagen attended Merced College before Ashford University in San Diego, where she earned a bachelor’s in social and criminal justice, CHP said.

While in high school and college, Hagen volunteered with the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, which she says was a "big influence" in seeking a career in law enforcement, CHP said in a news release.

Hagen formerly worked for Child Protective Services in Mariposa, and has been a CHP officer in King City, Mariposa and Oakhurst, CHP said. She was a sergeant in Madera, Sacramento and Merced before returning to Mariposa, according to the release.

The veteran of about 17 years with CHP originally came to Mariposa County, according to the news release, when her father, CHP Capt. Johnny Hagen, transferred to Merced and then Mariposa County from the Riverside area. Her fathered retired from Mariposa in 1993.

She continued to rise in the ranks in Mariposa since returning in 2011 until reaching the commanding position there, the release said. "Capt. Hagen says it meant a lot for her to be the commander of her home community, working with her friends in peer agencies, and in the office her father retired from.," CHP said in the release.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Merced CHP commander is the first woman in the job."