Washington’s Mayor Bowser says the city’s police chief, Pamela Smith, is stepping down

WASHINGTON AP Pamela Smith who was catapulted into national attention after President Donald Trump moved to federalize Washington s police force and who worked to confront rising violence in the nation s capital is stepping down as the city s police chief Mayor Muriel Bowser disclosed Monday Related Articles Nowadays in History December John Lennon shot to death Congress gears up to pass billion defense agenda bill Trump wants Venezuela s leader to go Here s who could replace him In the current era in History December Apollo blasts off Soon no Pearl Harbor survivors will be alive People turn to other approaches to learn about the bombing Smith appointed in 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 In announcing her resignation Bowser praised Smith for stepping up at a moment of major urgency crediting 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 tool upgrades Chief Smith got all of this done while navigating unprecedented challenges and attacks on our city s autonomy Bowser stated The mayor did not say why Smith is leaving She also 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 In a report Smith noted 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 stated While my aspiration has inevitably been to see zero percent crime we are not there yet Nonetheless we have made tremendous progress and there remains crucial 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 preponderance volatile years in nearly two decades as homicides surged carjackings hit record highs and frustration mounted among residents and lawmakers The spike in 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 in the first ten weeks of 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