Drawing on the experience she gained in York College’s Criminal Justice program, Holly Arndt ‘04 has risen through the ranks of the police force and is looking to make a difference in her department.
In May 2026, the Columbia Borough Police Department named York College of Pennsylvania alumna Holly Arndt ‘04 as its newest chief of police. Thanks to her time on campus and the work she has completed in law enforcement, Chief Arndt is now not only the head of the department but also making history as the borough's first female chief of police.
It is an accomplishment she is quite proud of, and now, in her new position, Arndt hopes to foster positive change in the department. After about two months in her new role, she shares how her experiences have helped her reach this point in her career.
Finding Her Interests in Sports and Justice
Growing up, basketball was a huge part of Arndt’s childhood. It was a sport she was deeply passionate about, and it became one of the main deciding factors in where she would go to college.
She was recruited by the former head coach of York College’s Women’s Basketball team, Betsy Whitman. Along with the lifelong friendships she forged with her team, which still exist more than 20 years later, Arndt appreciated the College's size and proximity to her home in Columbia.
“I would say that playing basketball at York College was definitely something that shaped who I am today,” she said.
Arndt spent her first two years at York College undecided about her major. It wasn’t until she found herself listening to her roommate’s stories about her father, a homicide detective, while they watched Forensic Files that Arndt began to consider pursuing criminal justice.
“I didn’t want to be a police officer at first,” Arndt said. “I think the program itself opened my eyes to it.”
Arndt graduated in December of 2004, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice along with her minor in Criminalistics.
Navigating the Police Ranks
During Arndt’s time at York College, she completed an internship at the York County Prison as a guidance counselor. The experience would remain with her for years, solidifying her desire to help her community through meaningful work.
Arndt returned there after graduation to work as a prison guard for the next year and a half. She would then apply for and work as a deputy sheriff in York County for two more years.
“I still felt like I wasn’t being fulfilled,” she said. “I wanted to do more for the community.”
Eventually, Arndt was hired in the Colombia Borough’s Police Department in 2008. The decision stemmed from her father encouraging her to speak with the police chief of Columbia (whom he knew) at the time. The one takeaway Arndt had from their conversation was the department’s need for female officers, which she felt she could help with, especially if it meant she could be more active in the community.
Now, around 20 years later, Arndt has gone above and beyond that goal as Columbia’s first female chief of police.
Encouraging Wellness and Passion
Since being inducted into her new leadership role, Arndt has spent her time transitioning into an administrative role. Her biggest focus is on hiring numbers and bringing more officers into the department. Most of all, she wants to create a space where officers feel supported, both physically and mentally.
“I really want to focus on officer wellness,” said Arndt.
Using recently donated equipment to find a location where the department can have its own gym is one part of this initiative. Arndt also plans to attend meetings, seminars, and trainings to learn more about encouraging officer wellness.
Ultimately, she hopes to provide as many resources as possible to the men and women serving in Columbia’s Police Department, so they feel supported and can take care of themselves.
“This is very important to me because I feel like when I started, there was nothing for officers,” she said.
Most of all, Arndt hopes she can inspire girls and women to not only pursue law enforcement but also whatever they are passionate about. She doesn’t want people to focus on her title as the first female police chief in Columbia, but rather on the fact that she accomplished something she has worked toward for nearly two decades and wants other women to feel inspired.
To her, it doesn’t matter that she is the first woman to become Chief of Police; she just hopes that others will follow in her footsteps.
“That’s the biggest thing for me, allowing other women to show you can do this as well,” Arndt said. “It just takes the right work ethic, and you have to be honest, you have to have integrity, all those core values you have to have and work hard, and if you do that, you can be whatever you want to be…”
Arndt emphasizes the importance of finding positive role models for students to associate themselves with. Especially for those interested in criminal justice or law enforcement as a future career, having mentors is important in figuring out what sort of person you want to be.
The job will be difficult, but if a person goes into it for the right reasons and the right motivation, they will find a path ahead for them to follow.
“If you want to do it, just have the right values - that integrity, honesty, work ethic, determination, and grit,” Arndt said.
