Courtesy of Tactical Life

Yesterday we told you about the first female recruits to graduate from the U.S. Army’s Infantry One Station Unit Training. Continuing on with the theme of women breaking barriers, we’d like to introduce you to the NYPD’s first female counter sniper.

5-foot, 1-inch Det. Tina Guerrero became a NYPD officer soon after the birth of her first child at age 24. Initially working in a vice squad, she wanted something more challenging, so she decided to try and join the department’s vaunted Emergency Service Unit (ESU), an elite group that handles everything from hostage situations to presidential details.

“It’s like a big boy’s playground, and I wanted to play in it. I was welcomed with open arms,” Guerrero told Fox 5. “I’ve always been treated with the utmost respect.”

Part of that respect comes from the fact that she carries her own gear, but it also comes from her ability with a long gun.

“In the beginning, I really was a little intimidated by it,” she said. “I’d never really shot a precision rifle before. And hearing the term ‘counter sniper’ — you’re looked at a little bit of a higher level, and it’s a big responsibility.”

Despite the fact that she’s never had to use her service weapon in the line of duty, she knows it’s vital that she maintains her skills, which is why she and the other members of her ESU team often get in some range time at the NYPD’s Rodman’s Neck training facility in the Bronx.

Guerrero, a mother of three, says she has the full support of her husband—an ESU officer in a different squad—as well as her team members.

Continue reading on Tactical Life

Photo courtesy of Fox 5 News