Don’t judge Yvette Flynn by her size. The 5-foot tall grandmother has worked her way up to one of the top positions in the Tampa Police Department.
“With the height and all. I’m not really intimidating. I don’t want to be intimidating. But a lot of time I was able to talk my way out of difficult situations by talking to people and listening,” Flynn said.
Flynn says she became a cop 21 years ago. It wasn’t common for Hispanic women to be in law enforcement.
She is now the department’s highest ranking female officer.
“I had to prove myself to my family members that it was safe, that I could do the work and that I had the heart to do the work. And then at work I also had to prove myself with my coworkers that I was a good police officer,” she said.
She has proven herself over the years rising to the rank of major. She also is a champion for Tampa’s Hispanic community.
“I’m able to relate to the men and women in the Hispanic community because I am them. I am the community,” Flynn said.
Flynn is in charge of TPD’s special operations.
That includes the air service, marine unit, tactical response and K9’s.
And she has no problem giving orders to officers who tower over her.
“I work with them. They don’t work for me. We all work together. We are all a team together,” she said.
