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Once I determined that I was going to work patrol which is out there every day,
that's, that's what I wanted to do, I wanted to be outside. I wanted to engage
with people. I wanted to just have the different experiences that every day
gives you. This is the job that I signed up for, I signed up to be on the
highway, and take calls, and help people. We're the, we're the tip of the spear.
We're the motorcycle officers and the road patrol is, is, where the hard work is done.
[music]
My name is Melissa Handley, I'm ID 14701, and I work at the South Los Angeles
Area CHP office in the city of Torrance. My current assignment is a motorcycle
officer on patrol on the day watch shift. I've been a motor officer for 18 years
and I'm going into my 24th year on the Department.
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I've been working the 405 freeway
probably 20 years easily out of my 24 years. That's my primary choice, is
to work that freeway. The pillars of the Highway Patrol are service and reducing
the mileage death rate and taking care of each other. So I learned those things,
those things are important to me personally, and so it just seemed like a
good fit. Once I graduated and I landed in Southern Division at the South Los
Angeles Area office, that's when your your training begins and that's when you
truly get to know what your job entails. We work in a very busy office, you deal
with crimes and you deal with traffic accidents and you deal with service
calls. You gotta have tough skin, you gotta be dependable, gotta want to work,
and this is the job that I signed up for - I signed up to be on the highway, and
take calls, and help people.
The decision to become a
motorcycle officer was another step in my career. I think to be a successful and
a safe motor officer you have to think outside the box. You have to have a
broader picture of what actually is going on. You have to think for other
people not just yourself. You have to be able to think on the fly
and then you still have to deal with the public and their frame of mind and help
them get through their disaster, their crash, their being stuck in the middle of
a freeway with cars whizzing by them. I mean that's pretty terrifying to the
average driver out there. Once I was assigned here, we had maybe seven to ten
women in South LA and over the years, you know, we dwindled down to just less
than a handful. So I felt like I had some responsibility to be out there as a
female because we have, women have, a different perspective on life basically.
We were trained how to do the job, but you know a man can look at it one way
where women may look at it through some different eyes and I think that's a
benefit. As one of only a few that were out there, I felt like I
made a commitment. It's a fun fact that I was at one time, close to probably ten
years, the only female motorcycle rider on the CHP and I'm very happy to
announce that there's somebody else, another woman has joined our squad in
the state and hopefully she's gonna have a very safe and productive career
because it's gonna be the best part of her career, 100 percent.
As far as the mark that I've left,
I mean, the fact of the matter is that not a lot of women
like to do this kind of job and I hope this inspires other gals to get out
there. I mean, I'm gonna be able to for sure retire and know that I, that I did
the best that I could and there's people on a regular basis that I
come in contact with, whether I'm sitting down having lunch or I'm on the side of
the road, that say thank you and so that's not, that's not, why you do the job,
but it reaffirms that you're doing it the right way.
I want to be able to step away, know that I worked for a great department. I've
been proud to work for them, I've tried to make myself a great example and role
model for them, and I hope that, you know, this inspires other women specifically,
but all people to become officers.
(whispers) I'm gonna cry.
I think my parents were very proud that I, that I am who I am.
They always were worrying and that's because that's what your
family does. So, just having the ability to be
safe in a, in a career that's not very safe.
Again, I'm just happy that I had the opportunity. I had a great time, I had a
lot of experiences that I, you know, that I probably wouldn't have gotten to do if,
if I was just a regular civilian and those things are priceless.
Los Angeles 77-420 Mary, 10-10.
>>DISPATCHER: 77-420 Mary, have a good day ma'am.