Reactions Extreme at Ripatti Home Unveiling

At dusk on Oct. 18, an electric current of emotion jolted the crowd as Officer Kristina Ripatti and her family rounded the corner toward their newly built craftsman-style home.

Escorted by a motorcade of Redondo Beach police officers, the 33-year-old Southwest Area officer arrived in a stretch limousine with a surfboard fastened atop. In the background, LAPD Bomb Squad shielded the home with a heavy-duty vehicle, similar to a fire engine.

As Officer Ripatti emerged, cheers erupted from some 1,000 supporters—including hundreds of officers from various agencies—lining the street, neighboring yards and rooftops. Southwest Area Officer Joe Meyer, Officer Ripatti’s partner, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition host Ty Pennington welcomed the family and—in unison with the crowd—shouted, "Move that bus!"

Upon first sight, Officer Ripatti wept and her husband—LAPD Officer Tim Pearce—gasped with awe. Jean Pearce, Officer Ripatti’s mother-in-law, stood next to the couple crying, as she held her 20-month-old granddaughter, Jordan. Pennington then escorted the family into their new, wheelchair-accessible home.

The home’s interior transformation will air Nov. 26 on ABC (check your local listings). Extreme Makeover sent the couple and their daughter to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico while their home underwent construction. Laboring around-the-clock, hundreds of volunteers completed nine months of work in seven days.

Comments

[Ali B]

Intense!

[Bob]

This is such a great story! Finally the good guys, the ones who keep our streets safe, are taken care of.

[Donna]

I just discovered this blog. I had the privilege of participating in this makeover project. The entire community was impacted by this single week. The actual air date of the episode has been moved to December 10, 2024 (and is a special 2-hour show now).