The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 69, No. 35 - August 27, 2020
COVID-19 Panel Discussion with Snoop Dogg
and Dr. Barbara Ferrer this Thursday at 6:00 pm
Mayor James T. Butts, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Barbara Ferrer will discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the City of Inglewood and offer insights on a path forward. The COVID-19 panel discussion will premiere on the City of Inglewood’s Facebook Live so be sure to tune in at
6:00 pm on August 27, 2020. Photo courtesy City of Inglewood.
Officer Ross from front page
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.
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.” •
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.