Though CHiPs was a lighthearted series overall, there were a few moments that ended not so well:
- At least two officers are killed in the line of duty:
- "Death Watch," where an officer – while he and another officer were making a traffic stop – is struck by a van that itself was trying to avoid a car that had swerved into his lane. note The officer dies on arrival at the hospital from internal injuries, leaving behind a young wife and daughter.
- "Sick Leave," where a fellow officer learns he has an inoperable lesion on his brain and – in denial that it is causing him to go blind – refuses treatment and tries to conceal his condition from his fellow and superior officers. It ends up deadly ... although not because of his eye condition, but due to catching shrapnel in his back while shielding a woman when the car she was in exploded.
- In "Head Over Heels" (from the final season), Ponch gets his own taste of heartbreak and grief when his girlfriend dies in his arms after being struck by a drunk driver.
- In "Wheels of Justice", a habitual drunk driver who has managed to keep his license despite multiple arrests causes an accident which takes the life of his own wife.
- In "11-99: Officer Needs Help," an attractive new dispatcher gets too easily tongue-tied on the microphone to the point where it brings her to tears. Not so easy to deal with if you have this problem yourself.
