i m trying to remedy that situation. we have officers on highway 17 now dedicated. reporter: the santa cruz office says they ve hired 15 new officers in the past year with more on the way. it s not just about writing more tickets. having more officers on the road is a visual deterrent. when the public sees the highway patrol up here, they slow down. reporter: finally, there are just more cars on the road. the number is climbing every year. the latest numbers are likely much higher. keith has been commuting over the hill for the past 30 years. he s not sure more officers writing more tickets will stop speeding. more of them will give me greater problems. reporter: the chp santa cruz office says they have a whole new round of cadets fresh out of the academy that will be ready to go by the end of summer. a lot of them look out for speeders and writing tickets. if you re coming through the mountain this is summer, consider yourself warned. kpix 5. new at 6:00, bars