I work with teens Michael Brown's age and the number one rule is

[Lurks Often]

102. An interesting question

Police in general are trained to take charge and assert their authority at the beginning, an approach that works far more often then not.

I think, to a degree, it is something hardwired into our genes. If you accept the premise of the "Alpha" male or Type A personality, when two males who both view themselves as "Alpha" interact negatively, there is always friction and the tendency of both to try and assert themselves over the other, which can lead to a circle of escalation. I believe that also applies on female on female interaction.

It is when it becomes a male on female interaction, that the tendency to assert oneself becomes short circuited (to a degree). The other part is that the female officer knows that the vast majority of the time she is physically weaker then the average male she is likely to encounter in the performance of her duties. So without the "Alpha" male vs male dynamic driving the encounter, it is likely both are less inclined to be aggressive and things are less like to escalate.

As to the idea that Brown would be alive today if the responding officer had been female, that is a big maybe, if Brown had behaved as alleged toward a female officer, she would likely have shot him as well and the story would probably never had made to the national level.

And please stop thinking that police procedurals on TV, however well done, are an accurate reflection of what real police go through.