EL SEGUNDO HERALD August 27, 2020 Page 5
Officer Ross from front page
Entertainment trailblazing as the first female police motor
officer,” Whelan said, “but also for who
she is as a person, and who she is as an El
Segundo Police Officer.”•
The first combustion engine, petroleum
fueled motorcycle was invented in 1885;
motor officers have supplemented police
departments for more than 100 years, with
the police departments of Detroit, Michigan,
and Lansing, Illinois, claiming to be the first
adopters, in 1908, of a new form of policing,
mounting officers on Harley-Davidson
motorcycles to make their cities safer.
Of her motor school class, Ross said that
“Motor school must be one of the most challenging
courses a law enforcement officer
can take… many attendees do not pass, at
least the first time.”
Officer Steve Paulsen was tasked with training
Ross as she prepared for motor school.
Officer Kaitlin Ross Becomes The First Female Solo Motorcycle Officer in ESPD History.” Pictured in the Division Photo from left to right
are Officer Steve Paulsen, Officer Kaitlin Ross, Administrative Assistant Casey Cline, Officer Armando Rodriguez, Sergeant Tony de la
Rambelje and Lieutenant Raymond Garcia.
He said when he met Ross, he did not know
a lot about the Oregonian, was unsure how
motivated she might be, and how she would
respond to training.
Any doubts Paulsen may have had were
quickly assuaged. Paulsen said that the
motorcycles, the beast-model BMW R 1250
RT-P, considered one of the most technologically
advanced motorcycles in the industry,
that the ESPD motor officers mount weigh
more than 800-lbs, and that “almost everyone
falls off of the bikes hundreds of times
during training,” noting that “it hurts when
you hit the concrete with the bike.” He said
that “there are many people (who) try, fail a
few times, and quit. Paulsen said that there
is a “high failure rate” for the attendees who
attempt to conquer the basic motorcycle
academy, calling the training “repetitive,
tedious, painful, and can be physically and
mentally draining.”
He said he “got a glimpse of Officer Ross’
determination when she showed everyone
that she could pick-up an 800-plus-pound
bike off the ground during the testing and
the interview process. The process could
have been over right then and there, but she
gave it her all and didn’t quit.”
Paulsen noted that Ross had never ridden
a motorcycle before, and that, during their
six months of training, they had to start from
the beginning. He said she was “just like
everyone else who trains for school, and fell
on the concrete hundreds of times, but she
got-up each time and kept going. She never
complained, never questioned her ability, and
always kept riding.”
Paulsen, noting Ross’s trailblazing achievements,
said he “knew she would be the one
to do it. I am so proud of her accomplishment.
She did the work. I know that this
is just the start of much bigger and better
accomplishments for Officer Ross. I have a
feeling she will break a few more records
in her career here at ESPD.”
Asked about for her aspirations in the
law enforcement field, Ross said that she is
“solely focused on being a motorcycle officer,
see where it takes me,” realizing that
there are multiple opportunities in the law
enforcement field.
It is well-known that motor officers
favor tinted sunglasses while they tool
around town, attempting to keep the peace.
To paraphrase a lyric from Timbuk 3’s
1986 hit tune that may apply to Ross, it
appears her “Future is so bright, she’s gotta
wear shades.” •
Chemical Hearts Will
Get You In Your Feelings
By Ashley DeFrancesco
for cinemacy.com
When we fall in love, our brains are
flooded with dopamine and serotonin, also
known as the “love drugs.” This chemical
concoction makes attraction addictive. For
Henry Page (Austin Abrams) this reaction
happens almost immediately when he
and Grace Town (Lili Reinhart) are partnered
as Editors in Chief for their school
newspaper in Amazon Studios’ new film
Chemical Hearts. Like many teenage
Chemical Hearts, courtesy Amazon Studios.
romance films, this story is based on the
Young Adult novel Our Chemical Hearts by
Krystal Sullivan and the title refers to the
chemical reactions in the brain that result
from love.
What sets this romantic drama apart
from the rest is writer/director Richard
Tanne’s use of adolescent struggle and pain.
Through Henry and Grace, we see that
you cannot force your love on a person
if they aren’t ready. Tanne uses the idea
of brain chemistry and chemical connections
to heighten Henry’s attraction and tireless
desire to be with her. But for Grace, the
attraction is a welcomed distraction from
the everyday reminder that her great love
is gone forever.
Abrams and Reinhart’s carefully crafted
characters are the most addicting part of
this film. Abrams uses small, perfectly timed
gestures and pauses to show Henry’s indecisive
nature and eagerness to be with Grace.
Nothing was more relatable than watching
Henry try to craft a perfect text to send,
one that would get Grace to respond, only
to quickly erase it and sigh an admittance
that that tactic is the worst. It’s realistic
and relatable, not to mention cueing my
own memories of doing the same. Reinhart
gives Grace layers and depth that show the
intricacies and nuances of grief, and how
depression can be incapacitating. She has
been open about her personal journey with
depression making this performance not only
grounded but phenomenal.
Although the stereotypical teenage clichés
are sprinkled throughout, Chemical Hearts
captures the fiery nature of teenage feelings.
Though we want our love story to be perfect
and simple, Tanne reminds us that we all
have cracks, and the hard part isn’t finding
love but accepting ourselves.
Distributed by Amazon Studios, Chemical
Hearts is available to stream on Amazon
Prime Video. •
Ashley DeFrancesco
YOU’VE WORKED SO HARD
getting your business off the ground
Please give your business the name it deserves
DBAS PUBLISHED FOR ONLY $75.00
Email dba@heraldpublications.com or call 310-322-1830 for more information.