|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Dublin Police Chief Garrett Holmes on Friday announced his retirement from law enforcement, effective mid-March, after more than five years at the helm.
Holmes, who is officially a commander within the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, has worked for the county agency for nearly 30 years – almost two decades of which was spent assigned to Dublin Police Services under the city’s contract with the sheriff’s office.
“It has been an honor to serve the community of Dublin for over 18 years, and the last five as the chief of police,” Holmes said in a statement Friday.
“Over the past two decades, the city has grown rapidly, but it still has a hometown feel,” he added. “I have been extremely fortunate to work with the many dedicated women and men of Dublin Police Services, and I am grateful for the wonderful support that our community members have shown us through the years. Together, we have made the city a vibrant and safe place to live and work.”
Holmes, who rose through the ranks of the sheriff’s office after beginning as a reserve deputy, worked three different stints with Dublin Police Services during his career. He took the reins as police chief from Dennis Houghtelling in December 2017.
“We thank Chief Holmes for his years of service and leadership to the city of Dublin,” Mayor Melissa Hernandez said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing his legacy of community policing and making Dublin a safe place to live and work.”
Holmes’ last day with the department is set for March 17. He is the second-longest tenured police chief among the five Tri-Valley municipalities, behind only Danville Police Chief Allan Shields who was appointed five months before Holmes in 2017.
The city said an announcement on Dublin’s next police chief will be made soon. City Manager Linda Smith will interview candidates from a list of ACSO commanders provided by Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez and select one to be the new police chief, in line with the contract between the city and sheriff’s office, according to city officials.
“Chief Holmes’ retirement is personally and professionally bittersweet,” Smith said on Friday.
“I have had the opportunity to work closely with him these last eight years and to have had a front-row seat, watching him take community policing to the next level,” she added. “He’s a man of great integrity, is extremely caring, and has always wanted the best for the city. He is deserving of all wonderful comments to come, and he will be dearly missed.”
Holmes is a Tri-Valley native, having grown up in Pleasanton and graduated from Amador Valley High School.
He started with the sheriff’s office as a reserve deputy in 1993. He would go on to work as a correctional officer for several years at the North County Jail and Santa Rita Jail in Dublin before becoming a deputy assigned to Dublin Police Services.
His initial tenure in Dublin continued in 2009, during which time his experience ran the gamut, including patrol, crime prevention, investigations, field training officer, patrol supervisor and administration sergeant.
After attaining the rank of lieutenant, Holmes left Dublin for other duties within the sheriff’s office through 2015. That time included a promotion to captain and serving as commanding officer at Oakland International Airport.
Holmes was transferred back to Dublin during 2015 to serve as a captain overseeing operations and administration for the department and sitting as second-in-command to then-Chief Houghtelling.
He was promoted to commander in early 2017 and moved back to ACSO administration to lead the Countywide Services Division. Upon Houghtelling’s retirement later that year, Holmes was appointed as Dublin police chief in December 2017.
“During his five-plus years as chief of Dublin Police, Cmdr. Holmes led Dublin Police through the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unrest stemming from the death of George Floyd,” city officials said. “During the pandemic, he worked to provide greater transparency of Dublin Police Services, holding regular online meetings with the community, and creating the first Dublin Police Annual Report.”
Holmes guided the department through internal adversity in the past year as they mourned the death of one of their own — Deputy Aubrey Phillips, who suffered a fatal aneurysm while on duty in February 2022. The police chief also played a key role in negotiating the surrender of Devin Williams Jr., a first-year jail and courthouse deputy with ACSO who was on the lam for nearly 12 hours while wanted for double-homicide charges in Dublin last September.
City officials noted that Holmes was a visible leader for the department in the community as well, regularly attending events like the Dublin Farmers’ Market, the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and Coffee with the Chief sessions.
Holmes said that in retirement he hopes to spend more time traveling with family, including to U.S. national parks and completing their goal of visiting all Major League Baseball stadiums. Holmes has two grown daughters and a son. His wife, Angela Ramirez Holmes, holds elected office in the Tri-Valley – on the Zone 7 Water Agency Board of Directors.
