Tamara: Women have been cops in the LAPD for over 100 years now, but does it still feel like you have to act like a man to fit in?
Chen: I think, I think fitting in is a trap. I’ve been sitting between two of the best cops in the state who had to navigate an avalanche of obstacles just to get to the mountain top. They didn’t do it by trying to fit in. They did it by, you know, by being stronger, smarter, more agile. They had to to navigate a system that still believes that being a girl is inherently soft or weak, as though empathy is somehow a liability. There isn’t a guy on the force who can do what these guys can do, and there sure as hell isn’t anyone tougher.