NEW YORK: New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Dermot Shea named Juanita Holmes, the highest ranking African-American woman on the force, as the chief of patrol, making her the first female to hold the position.
In his announcement on Thursday, Shea mentioned the fact that Holmes belonged to a family of officers, saying: “I think she is the complete package. I couldn’t be more proud to be here with her and the Holmes family.
“You hear about blue families and police families, but then you have the Holmes family.”
Holmes started with the NYPD in 1987 as an officer and was promoted seven times up to her retirement in 2018, before returning to the force in 2019, Xinhua news agency reported.
She previously commanded the NYPD’s School Safety Division, Domestic Violence Division Unit, Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Training, Borough Commander of Queens North (the first African American woman to serve in this position), Police Service Area 2 and the 81 Precinct.
“Chief Holmes will break the glass ceiling as the first woman in American history to lead a police force as large as the NYPD,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter on Thursday.
“She isn’t just an historic choice, she’s the right choice,” he added.
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