On top of those responsibilities , Engle took a job teaching traffic violator school in Orange County in 1992 .
In 1997 , he left Fox to do something to keep himself sane and help others . Engle was certified by the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Tarzana in 2000 . " What inspired me was the ability to help people ," he says . " To me , I almost feel like I ' m helping people more now than when I was a cop . It has always been in my blood to teach and help ." Engle also continues to teach traffic school to nearly 8,000 students a year . He keeps more than 100 traffic violators awake during night and weekend classes by interspersing humor in the lesson plan .
Often , Engle is a human punching bag for those who complain about their tickets . One guy is miffed that he got a citation for tossing cherry pits out of his car window . Engle plans to take his comedy to the stage in the fall . He ' s preparing a comedic hypnosis show . He ' s found his niche helping people like Carlos and Claudia Flores , a Stanton couple .
Carlos Flores , 37 , suffers from stress related irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS ) and made many trips to the doctor . Now he wants to try an alternative and asks Engle to help . " I said , ' If I ' m going to do this , I have to go in there accepting and being open to what he tells me ,' " Flores says . " I went in there accepting it with a little bit of skepticism ." After a few sessions earlier in the year , Flores says his stress level is under control . His wife , who also underwent hypnosis because she was unable to get pregnant , is now expecting .
" Life is really wonderful and we can always improve ourselves ," Engle says . " We never have to settle for where we are . Each and every job that I ' ve had I became fulfilled and moved on . You can be fulfilled in many ways in this life ."
Ellyn Pak
epak @ ocregister . com