WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi is effectively in charge of the police department in Washington, D.C. — so says the White House. But the city's police force already has a Pam at the helm — Chief Pamela Smith — and she says she only reports to the mayor.
D.C. and federal officials say they are working together after President Donald Trump announced he was placing the police department in the nation's capital under federal control to crack down on violent crime. But despite the unified tone, the unusual arrangement is raising questions about who gets to make decisions about D.C. police resources, personnel and policy and — in the event of a disagreement — which Pam gets the final say.
According to D.C. leaders, the attorney general can request services of the mayor, but nothing has changed when it comes to the chain of command and the department's funding. And when pressed Tuesday about who she reports to in light of the federal takeover, Smith said: “I answer to Mayor Muriel Bowser.”
“Let us not have any controversy with that, OK?” Smith told reporters outside the Justice Department after meeting with Bondi and other federal officials. “Because I know people want to build upon and create division. We’re here to work together with our federal partners, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Yet hours later, the White House struck a different tone, suggesting the ultimate authority lies in the hands of Bondi and Terry Cole, the Drug Enforcement Administration director whom Trump has tapped to serve as interim federal administrator of the police force.
“We plan to work with the Metropolitan Police Department, but ultimately, the chain of command is as such: the president of the United States, the attorney general of the United States, our DEA administrator, Terry Cole, who is now serving head of the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Cole is working with Smith “to ensure that law enforcement officers are allowed to do their jobs in the city,” Leavitt said.
Justice Department officials have not answered questions about whether the Trump administration believes it has the authority to make decisions about D.C. personnel, and whether the attorney general has issued any new orders for the police force.
Smith took on her role as police chief in the nation's capital in November 2023 and briefly served in other units, including the homeland security bureau. She also led the police force's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and had served as chief of the United States Park Police after a long career in that federal force.
The law allows Trump to take over the D.C. police for up to 30 days, though the White House has suggested it could last longer as authorities later “reevaluate and reassess.” Extending federal control past that time would require congressional approval, something likely tough to achieve in the face of Democratic resistance.
Hundreds of federal officers from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies have been doing overnight patrols in Washington since last week. Cole said federal officers would be “embedded” with D.C. police to patrol the streets, but did not offer specific details on what would change in the chain of command. Even so, he described Smith as “very accommodating” and said she was sharing ideas, giving him an office at police headquarters, and introducing him to staff.
“We have tremendous cooperation, tremendous intel sharing, and what's most encouraging, the police are looking forward to doing their job again,” Cole said in a Fox News interview.
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