PH
Pamela Smith has been nominated to be the next chief of police in Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Smith’s nomination, which comes amid mounting crime concerns in the District this summer. Smith joined the D.C. Department more than a year ago and has performed admirably.
At a press conference, Smith outlined her vision for the D.C. Police as its new leader. According to her, she intends to lead from the front and with “boots on the ground”. “Make no mistake about it: On this day, I am proud, I am humbled and I am excited to work alongside this team,” Smith said, according to WUSA9.
If confirmed by the DC Council, Smith will be the first Black woman to hold this post in the agency’s 230-year history. “This historic moment has not gone unnoticed by me.” “I am honored to join a long line of strong African-American women who have led public safety in the District of Columbia,” she added.
Smith was the Assistant Chief of the Homeland Security Bureau (HSB), which comprises the Special Operations Division and the Joint Strategic and Tactical Analysis Command Center, prior to her nomination. As the Chief Equity Officer (CEO), she led the Metropolitan Police Department’s initiatives on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) after entering in May 2022.
Smith began her law enforcement career in May 1998, serving in a variety of jobs. She has held positions in New York, San Francisco, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. She was appointed to sergeant in 2009 and has progressed through the ranks, eventually becoming Chief of Police, United States Park Police, in 2021.
Smith stated that her first goal is to reduce crime, and that she will use a “all-government approach” to addressing teenage crime. According to WUSA9, violent crime in the District has up 36% since this time last year. The 55-year-old will succeed Robert Contee III as chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, who quit this month to join the FBI.
