Juanita Holmes Named the NYPD’s First Female Chief of Patrol

Juanita Holmes Named the NYPD’s First Female Chief of Patrol

By Yehudit Garmaise

 This morning NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea announced that Assistant Chief Juanita Holmes has been named the police department’s chief of patrol.

   Holmes, who is replacing the outgoing chief of patrol, Fausto Pichardo, is the first woman to ever hold the position, and the highest ranking African-American in the NYPD.

   “We are happy to see that the leadership in the NYPD reflects New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a press conference this morning.

   Holmes, who has 30 years of NYPD experience, previously served in many roles, such as the chief of collaborative policing, the commander of the School Safety Division, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Training, and the Borough Commissioner of Queens.

   Holmes also has many family members who also serve in the NYPD, and she calls the NYPD “her second family.”