TAYLORSVILLE — In law enforcement, they are the best of the best.
The tasks that SWAT teams are called upon to perform are the missions that movies are made of.
But to be a SWAT team member, it doesn't mean one has to be the tallest or be able to lift the heaviest weights.
In fact, one of the new additions to the Unified Police Department's SWAT team stands just 5-foot-4 and weighs 125 pounds.
And she's female.
Officer Librada "Trina" Chacon, 31, a Utah native who grew up in the Rose Park-Glendale area, recently became the first woman in the history of the UPD/Salt Lake County Sheriff Office's SWAT team to be selected to the elite group.
"It's a huge accomplishment for me," Chacon said. "I always wanted to do this."
UPD holds SWAT tryouts once a year. It's a grueling process over the course of several long days and nights, designed to test potential recruits not only physically but mentally, in addition to testing their leadership ability.
"Can they make good decisions while stressed out?" UPD Sgt. Jason Mudrock, a SWAT team leader, said was a key component evaluators sought.
On average, 15 to 20 people try out for SWAT each year. Typically, only one or two of those hopefuls, if any, are female. A third of the people who apply normally drop out before the rigorous testing process is over.
This year, two women out of a total of 21 people applied for SWAT. Five people were selected.
Picking SWAT members doesn't always mean choosing the men who are 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, Mudrock said. Instead, team leaders focus on who will fit in best. And sex, he said, is not a factor.
"In our minds, as team leaders, it's really irrelevant if they're male or female," he said. "It isn't a matter of sex, it's a matter of whether they're able to do the task that's assigned to them. From the smallest to the largest, everyone will have an (important) job to do."
While Chacon said the men in her unit have treated her the same as they would any new recruit, the fact she is the first woman on the SWAT team has not escaped her.
"There are so few women in law enforcement anyway," she said. "Part of me was driven. Why not SWAT? It's kind of history in itself."
Chacon, who started working at the Salt Lake County Jail and has been in law enforcement for about eight years, first tried out for SWAT in 2005. This time, she said, she was much more prepared, both physically and mentally.
Chacon had one of her first training sessions Wednesday with the rest of her SWAT team. The team used a vacant day care near 6200 South and 2200 West to practice entering homes using explosives to get through locked doors and windows.
She said she was still in the learning phase and figuring out how best she will be able to contribute to the team.
"Everyone has something to contribute. I'll find out what I bring to the table," Chacon said. "I don't want to let the team down."
She now realizes she could be seen as a role model by some young girls considering a career in law enforcement. Her message to any young girl thinking about a career in law enforcement or trying out for the SWAT team is go for it and not be intimidated by what has traditionally been a man's field.
"Come on out and try," she said. "My greatest fear was myself. You still gotta try."
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com