NEW YORK - Juanita Holmes is officially the highest ranking African American woman in the NYPD's 175-year history.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea promoted her to a three-star chief Friday morning. Those three stars mean only two people in the NYPD outrank her, the commissioner and the chief of department, who's a four-star.

"I look at it as a blessing that I have been recoginzed for what I have done and it is an honor to be put in this position," Holmes told NY1 earlier in the week.

She says she hopes she's a role model to all women in the department. Females make up roughly 18 percent of the force.

Last week Holmes was named head of collaborative policing. A role in which she's going to have to figure out how to keep New Yorkers safe with alternatives to enforcement and locking people up.

"The police are telling the community here is how you should be policed, here's what we are doing and you should feel safe just because of that," said Holmes.

The NYPD veteran knows that's not going to work anymore with policing reforms and calls for change. With collabrotative policing she must partner with other government agencies and the community to address social issues like mental illness, homelessness and youth violence.
 
Chief Holmes touts anyone who has interacted with her on a personal or professional level knows she's trustworthy and dedicated.  
She joined the NYPD in 1987. Retired for a year before returning last December to a job she says she's passionate about.  

"I grew up in the city, I was born in the city, I have established relationships in the city over the last 33 years in various boroughs that I have worked in," Holmes said.

She hopes those decades on the force and relationships will help police battle back against a disturbing spike in murders and shootings this year. At the same time proving to communities of color that cops are not against them.

"I am knowledgeable of the past whether it is the things we have done great. There's a lot of things we have done great.  
But, there are some mistakes that we have made and we recognize it," explained Holmes.

While searching for alternatives to enforcement, chief Holmes says she will push for jail time for those who deserve it.  

"We have some bad, bad guys out there, right. Bad, bad guys carrying guns," she said.

Holmes makes it clear, as an African American cop, she supports the community and police. In fact, more than a dozen members of her family are officers and civilians working for the NYPD. That includes four sisters, a brother and a son.

Her son, officer William Credle and sister, Deputy Inspector Janice Holmes joked that there's a lot of love and competition in the family as they sat in front of Police Headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

"You know I salute her. I guess I have to," said little sister Janice.

Salute her as big sister and ranking officer.