In January, Ruby Flores became the first Latina in the LAPD to hold the rank of deputy chief and now takes on the responsibility seriously, embracing the historic role of showing young girls and women that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.
Flores is a first-generation Mexican-American and the first in her family to enter law enforcement. She grew up in Los Angeles and earned her degrees at Cal-State Long Beach, where she was a star pitcher on the softball team.
In an interview, Flores spoke about her new position, “I want to make sure I can positively impact young girls and women by being in this leadership role, so I want to do that and will continue to do so.”
Hired by the department in 1994, Flores said she became interested in joining the Los Angeles Police Department while studying criminal justice at California State University, Long Beach.
In the early days of women in the workforce, female officers wore skirts and heels and carried their guns in their purses. Flores says she was inspired by the late Peggy York, who was once the highest-ranking woman in the Los Angeles Police Department.
To inspire other women in law enforcement, Flores sought to become president of LAWPOA, the Los Angeles Women Police Officers and Associates.
Immediately after the 2020 civil unrest, Chief Michel Moore named her the department’s first head of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Flores established and published the department’s first DEI plan. This plan expands how the LAPD will foster an internal culture committed to engaging voices, respecting the humanity of all people and reflecting the expectations of the communities it serves.
“It has been an honor,” Flores said. “It has been a long and uphill battle in some ways because it’s not easy to rise through these ranks, and not everyone has the right to this rank, so I think it’s an even greater honor.”
Now that she has been named deputy chief, her goal is to continue improving diversity and inclusion within the force, as well as inspire girls and women to follow their ambitions, no matter who tries to discourage them.
“Young girls can do whatever they want,” Flores said. “They just have to be open to it, have confidence, and work hard, and they’ll realize they’re capable of much more than they thought.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is the local police force for the city of Los Angeles, California.
With over 9,500 officers, it is estimated that at least 40% of its workforce has Hispanic ancestry.
The LAPD is the third-largest local police department in the United States by number of officers, behind only the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Image: Opinion
