GUTSY COP STILL VOWS TO WALK AGAIN.Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer Two months ago, a pair of bullets knocked Officer Kristina Ripatti to the ground, tore up her spine and paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. her legs. Her doctor said she'd never walk again. She disagrees. As the wounded Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . officer struggles her way toward recovery, calls and cards have come in by the basket. A hundred fellow cops, standing alongside her husband, Officer Tim Pearce, saluted her release from the hospital. And Thursday evening, a big band will blow in tribute and raise money to help her get back on her feet. ``You have to have a fighting attitude,'' Ripatti said Tuesday. ``The hardest time of the day is morning, getting up and facing it all. I've got to push myself every day. I just want to resume life like it was before.'' She spends three days a week in physical therapy, undergoing five-hour sessions to rehab her paralyzed legs. Atop that grueling schedule, she works another three days with a personal trainer personal trainer person n → (persönlicher) Fitnesstrainer m, (persönliche) Fitnesstrainerin f , learning ways to push herself. On June 3 near the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission , Ripatti and her partner responded to a liquor store robbery call. They chased and exchanged gunfire with James Fenton
James Fenton (born April 25, 1949, Lincoln, England) has been, at various times, a journalist, poet, literary critic, and professor. He earned a B.A. McNeal, a career criminal. Ripatti crumpled crum·ple v. crum·pled, crum·pling, crum·ples v.tr. 1. To crush together or press into wrinkles; rumple. 2. To cause to collapse. v.intr. 1. , wounded. McNeal fell, dead. Before the shooting, the 10-year veteran officer relied on exercise for comfort. Though she still can't feel anything in her legs, the 5-foot-8-inch surfer plans to make it back in the gym standing. But that's not an easy, or inexpensive, road. To fill the gaps insurance doesn't cover, her fellow officers have repeatedly stepped up to pitch in. On Thursday, Officer Charles Collie collie, breed of large, agile working dog developed in Scotland during the 17th and 18th cent. It stands from 22 to 26 in. (55.9–66 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 50 to 75 lb (22.7–34 kg). of the Los Angeles School The Los Angeles School of Urbanism is an academic movement emerged during the mid-1980s, loosely based at the University of Southern California and UCLA, that poses a challenge to the dominant Chicago School of Urbanism. Police Department and his friends hope to raise up to $20,000 for the Kristina Ripatti Donation Trust Fund. Billed as ``A Night of Swing,'' the $25-per-ticket affair at Birmingham High School Birmingham High School is a public coeducational high school in the neighborhood/district of Lake Balboa in the San Fernando Valley section of the city of Los Angeles, California. The school is a part of District One of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). blends a concert with a silent auction. ``I've never met the lady, never met her husband. I work for a different agency, but this was just something that I wanted to do,'' Collie said. ``She was chasing a bad guy, protecting the citizens of Los Angeles, and she got shot. No amount of money can make up for that. This is for an officer who gave her all for the city.'' Collie, who grew up listening to Glenn Miller and Harry James, enlisted his friend Bob Noval's big band to provide the tunes. He spread the word among friends and gathered valuable sports memorabilia and tickets for fine dinners to fill out the silent auction table. Richard Bloom, a volunteer with the LAPD's West Valley Community Relations Office, donated a baseball signed by legendary UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX coach John Wooden and Lakers great Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson, an autographed ball from retired Dodgers stars Willie and Tommy Davis and a signed photo of ``Laverne and Shirley'' stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams. He figures the first ball alone, one of only two in existence, could bring up to $1,000 for Ripatti's fund. ``This woman is amazing,'' Bloom said. ``From what I understand, she was really well-liked. Nothing got her down. She always had that positive outlook.'' As she pushes and struggles through the gym, Ripatti has not lost that outlook. Her days toting a gun and patrolling the streets have been interrupted, but she remains determined to fight her way back to full strength. ``It's overwhelming how much support we've had,'' Ripatti said. ``We're really appreciative of it. We can't say enough. ``When I know how much they care, it helps through the hard times. There's always someone there to pick you up when you're down.'' brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3738 IF YOU GO A fundraiser for injured LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Officer Kristina Ripatti is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Birmingham High School Performing Arts Building, 17000 Haynes St., Van Nuys. The price is a $25 donation. Make checks payable to the Kristina Ripatti Donation Trust Fund Account (#2058164). For more information, call Officer Charles Collie at (805) 231-2106. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Los Angeles Police Department Officer Kristina Ripatti managed to smile as she left a hospital June 13 after being critically wounded in a shootout Shootout Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. with a robbery suspect. Two months later, she remains determined to walk again. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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