David John Mulholland

“With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of David John Mulholland on November 5th, 2023 at the age of 60. David spent the past year and a half battling a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After receiving a successful bone marrow transplant in June, David immediately developed several infections that his body was unable to overcome. At the time of his passing, David was cancer-free.

Dave is survived by his sister Carol; his wife of 37 years, Dawn; two children, Ryan and Alexis; and three grandchildren, Emily, Kayson, and Sawyer.

Dave retired as a Major from the United States Park Police after 27 years of service. Dave conceptualized and organized the Force's first Information Technology Unit, served as the unit's first commander, procured the first laptops available to the Force, provided leadership in support of technological initiatives, relocated the Communications and Dispatch Unit to an upgraded facility, procured the first Computer Aided Dispatch System, and collaborated with the National Park Service and others to identify and procure technology to support the mission of the USPP. During his time with USPP and beyond, Dave worked with the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Following his retirement from USPP, Dave worked at the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency as the District’s Statewide Interoperability Coordinator. He went on to serve as the Administrator of the Arlington County and Fairfax County Emergency Communications (9-1-1) Centers. At Arlington County, Dave led the implementation of the nation's first remote-work dispatch capability.

Dave contributed significantly to advance public safety communications with an emphasis on forward vision and collaboration through his public safety technology leadership roles with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and as a senior public safety communications and technology expert for numerous organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute, Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council, and National Public Safety Telecommunications Council. He was an APCO Registered Public Safety Leader, a graduate of the NENA Center Manager Certification Program, and held certifications as a Project Management Professional and Business Process Management Professional. As a committed lifelong learner, Dave recently earned a Master of Arts degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology to facilitate improving the effectiveness of public safety communications organizations.

The impact of Dave's lifetime of public service was profound at local, regional, national, and international levels. His willingness to develop and mentor others will ensure that his legacy of influence continues for years to come.

Beyond his professional roles, the proudest title Dave carried was "Pop Pop." He enjoyed spending time with his two oldest grandchildren, Emily, and Kayson. Dave took great interest in keeping up to date with Emily's extra-curricular activities and spent many weekends and evenings playing video games with Kayson. Just days before his bone marrow transplant, Dave had the serendipitous opportunity to meet his youngest grandson, Sawyer, who was just weeks old at the time. Every summer, Dave rented a cabin in Shenandoah, VA for a week and invited the entire family. Some of the family's best memories were made during these mountain getaways, such as horseback riding along a scenic, mount side trail, enjoying fellowship around a campfire, and stopping at a road-side diner on Skyline Drive to enjoy a slice of blackberry ice cream pie.

Most importantly, Dave was a follower of Jesus. He believed that the Gospel message, as described in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, was the inerrant truth of God. Dave believed that the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus is enough to atone for the sins of those who call Him savior. His faith was often reflected through his compassion for and generosity toward others.

A celebration of life service will be held on November 28th at 11 AM at Chesapeake Church, located at 6201 Solomon's Island Road N., Huntingtown, Maryland 20639. A Go-Fund-Me page was created during David's hospital stay to assist he and the family with on-going medical and living expenses. Donations to assist the family in on-going expenses can be made to the Go-Fund-Me page here: https://tinyurl.com/gofundme-david.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God (Matthew 5:9). “