Longtime Pittsburgh police commander leaving city to head Duquesne University police

A longtime Pittsburgh police official will end his 25-year career with city police next month to take over as head of public safety at Duquesne University, school officials said Monday.

Cmdr. Eric Holmes, who serves as the bureau’s chief of staff, will begin as chief of the university police department May 23.

Doug Frizzell, the university’s vice president for student life, said Holmes will bring a comprehensive background to Duquesne.

“He is proactive, forward-thinking and strategic in his work,” Frizzell said in statement. “His community-minded philosophy for law enforcement, coupled with a genuine interest in working with college students, made him immediately stand out in our national search.”

Holmes called his new position at Duquesne an honor and something that was the right move.

“This is a natural step in my career and my personal aspirations,” he said in a statement, pointing to his principles of faith and service to others.

In his quarter century with the bureau, he has helped oversee the transition toward data-driven and intelligence-led policing, along with the creation of the bureau’s crime analysis unit and real-time crime center. He has also served as the bureau’s LGBTQ+ liaison.

Holmes received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Slipper Rock University and, in 2018, he graduated from Point Park University with a master’s degree after participating in the city’s employee tuition discount program.

In a profile with Point Park, Holmes said his time pursing a master’s in criminal justice administration pushed him to want to teach criminal justice. He has served as an adjunct faculty members at several Pittsburgh universities.

“Among the most compelling characteristics that led us to select (Holmes) as the new chief is that he has been consistently recognized as a leading driver of operational improvement, innovative outreach, community relationships and diplomatic approaches to problem-solving in his work,” Frizzell said.