D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith announced her resignation from the Metropolitan Police Department’s top post Monday.
Smith, who took MPD’s reins in 2023, said her two years in the position was the “greatest honor” of her life, however she did not specify a reason behind the decision to end her tenure. As police chief, Smith drove down crime and weathered President Donald Trump’s federalization of the department in August, faced challenges regarding staffing levels and federal scrutiny for the department’s decisions during the April 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment in University Yard.
“I am confident that the department is in a strong position and that the great work will continue, moving in a positive trajectory to combat crime and enhance public safety,” Smith said. “Washington, D.C. is an extraordinary place to live, visit, and work, and I remain inspired by the resilience and spirit of this community.”
Smith said in an interview with Fox5 Monday morning she was resigning to spend more time with her family. The MPD directed The Hatchet to Smith’s statement on X when asked for comment.
Smith thanked the District’s residents for their trust and partnership, adding that while the department did not reach her goal of zero percent crime, MPD has made “tremendous progress.” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed Smith will officially depart the role on Dec. 31, the Washington Post reported.
Bowser lauded Smith’s time leading MPD in a statement on X, adding that when she came into the position, Smith was facing “significant challenges” as the city looked to curb crime trends post-pandemic. Bowser said Smith led the MPD through “unprecedented challenges” and an attack against D.C.’s autonomy.
“Chief Smith dramatically drove down violent crime, drove down the homicide rate to its lowest levels in eight years, and helped us restore a sense of safety and accountability in our neighborhoods,” Bowser said in her statement. “We are grateful for her service to Washington, D.C.”
Bowser did not immediately return a request for comment.
Smith led the department through President Donald Trump’s invocation of Section 740 of D.C.’s Home Rule Act in August, federalizing the MPD in response to allegations of rising crime in the city — even though violent crime had dropped by 35 percent in 2024 after a spike in 2023, according to Department of Justice data.
Trump tapped U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to oversee the takeover, while having Terry Cole — the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency — acting as the federal leader of the MPD. In a press conference shortly after Trump’s announcement, Bowser clarified that Smith would still lead the MPD’s force of over 3,000 officers.
Only five days after Trump invoked Section 740, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the Trump administration to remove Bondi from leading the MPD on Aug. 16. At a court hearing the same day, D.C. and federal officials agreed to keep Smith in charge of the department while Bondi ordered MPD officers to cooperate with federal immigration law enforcement, regardless of D.C.’s sanctuary city laws.
Throughout the takeover, Smith and Bowser have both faced scrutiny from local advocates over MPD’s alleged cooperation with Immigration & Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. In September, Bowser issued an executive order requiring local officials to cooperate with federal agencies on an indefinite basis, but later clarified that immigration enforcement is “not what MPD does.”
The Washington Post later documented evidence of ICE agents joining MPD officers on patrols.
During the U-Yard encampment in spring 2024, Republican heads of two House committees penned a letter to Bowser and Smith criticizing their decision not to respond to GW’s request that they clear the encampment the day students set it up. University President Ellen Granberg had reportedly requested the MPD clear the encampment, a request she denied making.
On May 1, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability called on Bowser and Smith to testify over the encampment on May 7 — what would be the encampment’s 13 day.
Officials ultimately canceled the hearing after the MPD cleared the encampment early in the morning on May 7. Smith confirmed that day hundreds of MPD officers descended on U-Yard and arrested over 30 protesters, which officials later confirmed were for “assaulting a police officer” and “unlawful entry.”
Smith has also looked to address low staffing levels the MPD has faced over the past few years, as the department reaches a 50-year low in staffing levels. After the federalization of the MPD in August, Bowser said at a press conference the MPD needs an additional 500 officers to properly address crime in the District.
Under her tenure as police chief, Smith launched crime reduction measures like the Real Time Crime Center, Operation THRIVE and Operation Action Teams Leaving Areas Safer, all programs MPD Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy attributed to a decrease in crimes reported in Foggy Bottom in 2024.
Bowser appointed Smith — the former U.S. Park Police Chief — as the District’s police chief in July 2023 after former chief Robert J. Contee III resigned to work for the FBI in April of that year. While Smith served as acting chief following Bowser’s appointment, the D.C. Council unanimously approved her permanently taking the role in November.
Bowser did not immediately name a successor for Smith, however she confirmed she will name an interim police chief before the new year.
