You are reading

NYPD Assistant Chief Juanita Holmes, Head of Queens North, Retires After 32 Years

NYPD Assistant Chief Juanita Holmes (right), commanding officer of Patrol Borough Queens North. Her successor, Assistant Chief Martin Morales, assumed the Queens North post on Dec. 22 after Holmes announced her retirement earlier this month. (via NYPD Queens North/Twitter)

Dec. 31, 2018 By Meghan Sackman

NYPD Assistant Chief Juanita Holmes, head of Patrol Borough Queens North since 2016 and one of the highest ranking African-American women in the agency, has retired.

Holmes, 54, is leaving the NYPD after more than three decades of service, and has taken a position within the private sector, according to reports published earlier this month.

Holmes joined the NYPD in 1987, and rose through the ranks over her 32 years in the department. She was assigned to the 113th and 111 precincts in Queens and commanded over the 81st Precinct in Bed-Stuy, among other positions, before becoming commanding officer of the agency’s Domestic Violence Unit in 2014.

Holmes was then promoted to assistant chief in September 2016, and assigned to be commanding officer of Patrol Borough Queens North, which covers precincts in the northern half of the borough from Astoria and Long Island City to Flushing.

This last step in Holmes’ career proved historic, as she became the first African-American woman to ever to have a borough command in the NYPD.

Her promotion also made her the third female African-American assistant chief in the department’s history.

“Passing of the torch is a bittersweet moment for me but I can rest assure that PBQN [Patrol Borough Queens North]…and community are in good hands,” Holmes said via the NYPD Queens North twitter account.

Holmes’ replacement, Assistant Chief Martin Morales, assumed the role last week, and will oversee the 108, 114, 112, 115, 104, 110, 111 and 109 precincts.

Morales, until his recent promotion to Queens North, was the commanding officer of the NYPD’s Domestic Violence Unit–like Holmes– a role that included working with the District Attorneys of each borough to “build stronger evidence-based cases to hold offenders accountable,” Morales said.

“To all officers and residents of all neighborhoods of Queens North, I’m looking forward to meeting and working with all of you,” he tweeted.

Borough Commands (NYPD)

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Jamaica man sentenced to life for brutal triple murder of girlfriend, her son and cousin in 2022: DA

A Jamaica man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Queens Supreme Court on Friday for the 2022 murders of his girlfriend, her son, and her cousin.

Travis Blake, 31, of 155th Street, was convicted by a jury last month of first-degree murder and other counts for the triple slaying in June 2022. The bodies of his victims were discovered with an array of puncture and blunt force wounds in a state of decomposition in their shared Jamaica home.

Hard Rock CEO outlines vendor opportunities for $8B Metropolitan Park casino project

May. 2, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

Hard Rock International Chairman and CEO Jim Allen addressed hundreds of Queens-based vendors and small business owners Thursday morning at the Queens Theatre, outlining how they could play a key role in shaping the proposed $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino and entertainment complex near Citi Field—if the project is awarded one of the three downstate gaming licenses up for grabs later this year.

Masked thieves steal thousands from senior woman in Murray Hill robbery: NYPD

Police from the 111th Precinct in Bayside are looking for two masked purse snatchers who targeted a 70-year-old woman on a residential street in Murray Hill and allegedly grabbed her pocketbook that contained thousands of dollars.

The grand larceny occurred just after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, as the senior was walking near 45th Avenue and 196th Street, a block west of Francis Lewis Boulevard, just south of Northern Boulevard. The stranger approached her from behind and snatched the pocketbook from her hand and then fled the crime scene in a black Chevrolet traveling westbound toward Utopia Parkway. The woman was not injured during the encounter.

Beyond brunch: Unique ways to celebrate Mother’s Day in Queens

May. 2, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With Mother’s Day just over a week away, there’s still plenty of time to plan something meaningful in Queens to celebrate the special women in your life. While brunch or dinner is always a classic choice, there are also unique and memorable ways to mark the occasion with family and friends. From candle-making workshops and floral arranging classes to beer tastings and hands-on crafting, here are some fun and heartfelt ways to celebrate Mother’s Day right here in the community.

Long Islander gets 20 years in prison for ‘sadistic’ months-long crime spree in Queens: DA

A Long Island man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court after pleading guilty to kidnapping, robbery, and promoting prostitution for three separate incidents.

Gil Iphael, 25, of Copiague Street in Valley Stream, lured his victims to Queens locations for sex with the help of his co-defendant, then his victims were detained, assaulted, and robbed. In one instance, Iphael tried to cut off a man’s toe and threatened to mutilate his genitals.