As the Los Angeles Police Department celebrates its first Latina deputy chief, the woman stepping up to the responsibility is taking the historic role seriously in showing young girls and women they can achieve what they set their intentions on.
Ruby Flores, a Mexican American woman raised in East Los Angeles and Norwalk, beamed with pride as she spoke with NBC4 about her new position. While ecstatic she successfully catapulted her career into a major leadership position, she said that the weight of the responsibility associated with this role in both the department and the public isn’t lost on her.
“I want to make sure if I can impact young girls and women in a positive way by being in this leadership position, then I want to do that and will continue to do that,” Flores said.
Appointed to the department in 1994, Flores said she gained interest in joining the force while studying criminal justice at Long Beach State University. A less-than-ideal experience with a different police agency in her personal life further cemented her goal of becoming an officer.
“I was about 21 years old and I was in a car accident by myself and I was ultimately stranded and victimized by a stranger in an attempted assault,” Flores shared. “Ultimately, they found the suspect and I went to court. The suspect was arrested but the process is what was eye-opening to me because as a woman, I felt that I was not treated appropriately.”
According to Flores, the process made her feel like she was a suspect although she was the one who was targeted. That made her want to make a difference.
“I wanted to come and be part of the change instead of contributing to that negative dialogue,” Flores said.
She shared that her journey with the LAPD was met with some confusion by people who questioned why she wanted to become an officer. She said she knew entering a male-dominated workforce would come with some challenges but proved herself to be exceptional and was quickly accepted by her…
Read the full article here
