‘CHiPs’ Star Erik Estrada Works Undercover to Arrest Child Abusers

“CHiPs” star Erik Estrada’s real life resembles his art.

The 75-year-old actor, who makes his debut in the second season of his religious DIY show “Divine Renovation,” rose to fame playing motorcycle cop Francis Llewelyn “Ponch” Poncherello on the popular police series “CHiPs” from 1977 to 1983.

While still working as an actor, Estrada fulfilled a childhood dream when he became a reserve police officer in Muncie, Indiana. He later became a deputy sheriff in Virginia, where he joined the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.

During an interview with Fox News Digital, Estrada reflected on his career in law enforcement, which began in 2008 when he started working a late-night shift with the Muncie Police Department.

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“CHiPs” star Erik Estrada described his undercover work to catch online sexual predators who target minors. (Getty/Erik Estrada Instagram)

“For three years. I stayed with them,” Estrada said. “And then I say, ‘You know what? I’m too old to be pulling over cars at night, going to the bar, knocking on doors during domestic disturbances and doing all that at my age.'”

Estrada was concerned about his age and said his job with the police was complicated because he was often recognized as “Ponch” when he responded to calls.

“Every time I come out of the situation, people want pictures and autographs,” he said. “I can’t do that anymore.

“Then I thought, someone would mess up my hair really bad at 2, 3, 4 in the morning, because I used to work in the cemetery so I wouldn’t have to work in daylight,” Estrada joked.

Estrada said that while he was still working as a police officer, he became involved with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, where former Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown told him about the department’s work as an ICAC task force.

WATCH: ‘CHIPS’ STAR ERIK ESTRADA EXPLAINS HOW HE USES FAKE IDENTITIES TO CATCH CHILDREN’S DRESSES ONLINE

“I was exposed to child pornography on the Internet,” Estrada recalled. “I got so angry when I saw what I saw, because my daughter was 7 at the time. It really made me angry. And then I got angry. Made me angry.

“I got so angry when I saw what I saw, because my daughter was 7 at the time. It really made me angry. And then I got angry. Made me angry.”

—Erik Estrada

“Then I said to the sheriff, Mike Brown, I said, ‘Sheriff, when I leave tonight, I want to leave Muncie, Indiana PD and go to work on this. And he said, ‘Well, give me a year to train you. And I’ll audit your training and what you do there.'”

Estrada said he joined the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office as a full-time sheriff and ICAC, where he worked undercover for eight years and used the Internet and online technology to catch child sex offenders.

ICAC was founded in 1998 in response to the proliferation of child pornography on the Internet and the rise of criminals using the Internet to sexually exploit minors.

According to the department’s website, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department was one of the first ten local law enforcement agencies designated to serve as the ICAC task force for Virginia and West Virginia.

Estrada worked as a police officer in Indiana before becoming a deputy sheriff in Virginia. (Erik Estrada Instagram)

Estrada told Fox News Digital that child grooming and kidnapping by criminals who first contacted victims online increased after he joined the force. He said minors were ill-prepared to defend themselves against online sexual predators.

“Nobody taught our kids what not to do on the internet,” Estrada said. “How not to be manipulated and taken, what not to do. Giving out personal information, making physical contact with these people that you think are your, you know, soul mate, but they’re not.

“The children were taken and of course damaged, because once a child loses their innocence, they never get it back. They never get it back anyway.”

WATCH: ‘CHIPS’ STAR ERIK ESTRADA RECALLS HER WORK AS A POLICE OFFICER BEFORE GOING UNDERCOVER TO ARREST ONLINE CHILD BROKER

Estrada told Fox News Digital that he has continued his work with ICAC as a deputy sheriff for the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. He explained that he uses fake online identities to capture and arrest potential sexual predators, work he described as “poppin’ these guys who crossed the line on the internet.”

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“When they’re talking to you, they think they’re talking to Kimmy, 13½ (years old),” he said. “If you tell them your age, and they don’t sign off — it’s just a matter of time before they make that move and cross that line and give you probable cause to come get them. And then if we go to your house or you come get us and you think it’s a go, we’re going to get you.”

During his interview with Fox News Digital, Estrada said he wanted to be a police officer since he was 4 years old, when he was growing up in a public housing complex in Spanish Harlem, New York.

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“My mom had just fired my dad,” he recalled. “Because he was stuck with the needle, okay? And then she started dating a cop. The guy’s name was Pete Panos. CSI detective.

“I loved this guy. I would go through his briefcase and look at really horrible stuff. ‘Night of the Living Dead’ stuff. It was amazing. As a kid, I was like, ‘What?’ And I wanted to catch the person who did that.”

However, Estrada’s life took a turn when he joined a drama club at his high school, eager to date a young woman who was a member.

“I got bitten by the acting bug,” he recalls. “It really bit me in the a–.

“But now I have to say to my mother: ‘Mom, you have to stay in the projects for a little while longer, then I can get you out.’ My poor mother. She cried for days.”

Estrada rose to fame for her role as Officer Francis Llewellyn “Ponch” Poncherello in the hit police drama “CHiPs.” (NBCU Fotobank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

When Estrada told his mother about his change of plans, he promised her that if acting didn’t work out by the time he was 30, he would return to New York and become a police officer. The age limit for doing so was 32.

At age 27, Estrada landed his breakthrough role on “CHiPs.” His success allowed him to support his mother.

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“My goal was to make that bread and have my mother live like a queen,” he said. “And I finally did it. I had her live on Central Park South, overlooking the park, for 32 years, and she never worked until she passed away.”

In addition to his work with the police, Estrada has continued his acting career and worked on other projects, including starring in infomercials and appearing in and hosting reality shows.

The show ran from 1977 to 1983. (NBCU Fotobank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

In 2023, Estrada began hosting the faith-based home improvement reality series “Divine Renovation.” According to Divine Renovation’s producers at Heartlight Entertainment, “the docuseries takes the huge success of home improvement shows and adds a spiritual element to them.”

The series follows Estrada as he partners with nonprofits, houses of worship, local businesses and neighbors to improve homes for families in need.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Estrada said that “Divine Renovation” executive producer Monty Hobbs reached out to him about hosting the series after the actor appeared in a series of films about faith, including 2013’s “Finding Faith,” 2014’s “Virtuous” and 2015’s “Uncommon.”

“He said, ‘I want to create a concept where we’re not hitting people over the head with the Bible, but it’s a show about doing good, a feel-good show, where we’re working with the community and helping people from all walks of life,'” Estrada said of his conversation with Hobbs.

WATCH: ‘CHIPS’ STAR ERIK ESTRADA ON THE SECOND SEASON OF HIS FAITH-BASED HOME IMPROVEMENT SERIES ‘DIVINE RENOVATION’

The first season of “Divine Renovation” was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, and premiered in July 2023 on Prime Video, Google Play, and iTunes.

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The second season of “Divine Renovation” was filmed in Torrington, Connecticut, and is scheduled to premiere in mid-August.

Estrada told Fox News Digital that the series’ second season is “really heartwarming.”

“It’s an amazing, amazing season,” he said. “We have a segment with these dogs who are service dogs for people with PTSD. Incredible, incredible segment.”

Estrada hosts the religious home improvement reality show, “Divine Renovation.” (Daniel Knighton/FilmMagic)

A former student of “The Bold and the Beautiful” said another segment of the show was filmed at the FISH (Friends In Service To Humanity of Northwestern Connecticut) shelter.

“We’re giving them a new floor and some other adjustments, a renovation in the big house that they have,” he said. “And then we’re putting a flagpole up there because they just got a grant to bring in veterans, house them and feed them.

“So, we gave the veterans a stick so they could do their flag ceremony. And the mayor comes out, and the whole thing is great. And then we do something with the police officer and his family because he has a son who has a severe disability.

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“We made it so that we put a track from his bedroom to the bathroom so he can just go to the bathroom. We made the bathroom bigger. We gave them a removable aluminum ramp outside so that it would be convenient and they wouldn’t have to go downstairs,” he added.

“So, it’s a lot of this and a lot of that. And it’s great. I’m going to heaven.”

The second season of “Divine Renovation” premieres September 19 on Amazon Prime, Roku, Tubi and other streaming platforms.