Washington, D.C.’s police chief is stepping down after being catapulted into national attention as President Donald Trump moved to federalize Washington’s police force.
Pamela Smith, appointed in 2023, had been brought in to stabilize a department facing staffing shortages and a city shaken by post-pandemic crime.
But her tenure unfolded amid a fierce battle over authority, as Trump asserted federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed National Guard troops and federal agents alongside the city’s officers.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Smith’s resignation Monday and praised her for “stepping up” at a moment of “significant urgency.”
Bowser credited her with helping drive down violent crime, cutting homicides to an eight-year low and launching major policing initiatives, including a Real-Time Crime Center and new technology upgrades.
“Chief Smith got all of this done while navigating unprecedented challenges and attacks on our city’s autonomy,” Bowser said.
The mayor did not say why Smith is leaving but Smith told Fox 5 DC, “I have been going nonstop. I have missed many amazing celebrations, birthdays, marriages, you name it, within our family.
“What really resonated with me was going home for Thanksgiving to visit my family.
“Being able to come home for Thanksgiving two years after my mom passed really resonated with me and has allowed me to make a decision that I think is necessary, not just for me, but also for my family.”
Bowser did not announce who would take over the department or whether the change in leadership might affect the city’s broader public-safety strategy at a moment when Washington continues to recover from historic levels of violence.
Smith said she was confident the police force “is in a strong position and that the great work will continue” and that the role has been both a challenge and a reward.
“I am proud of the accomplishments we achieved together, and I thank the residents of this city for their trust and partnership,” Smith said.
“While my aspiration has always been to see zero percent crime, we are not there yet. Nonetheless, we have made tremendous progress, and there remains important work ahead.”
Smith, a longtime federal law enforcement official and former head of the U.S. Park Police, assumed command during one of Washington’s most volatile years in nearly two decades, as homicides surged, carjackings hit record highs and frustration mounted among residents and lawmakers.
The spike in 2023 violence prompted congressional hearings and led city leaders to expand police authority, including authorizing drug-free zones in areas with persistent crime. Lawmakers also rewrote parts of the city’s criminal code in an effort to stem the rise in violent offenses.
Early the next year, the city began to see improvement. Overall crime fell by about 17% in the first ten weeks of 2024, a drop Smith attributed to the new law and to targeted deployments in neighborhoods experiencing repeated trouble. She also imposed temporary youth curfew zones in several parts of the district.
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