D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith to step down

Washington, D.C., Police Chief Pamela Smith is stepping down after two years, she and Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Monday

Washington, D.C., Police Chief Pamela Smith is stepping down after two years, she and Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Monday.

Smith was appointed in 2023 and is the first Black woman to serve as chief of the D.C. police department.

“I am deeply humbled, grateful, and deeply appreciative of my time with the District of Columbia,” Smith said in a statement. “Serving as Chief of Police has been the greatest honor of my career, and I want to extend my sincere thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser for appointment me to this position and to the DC Council for their steadfast support throughout my tenure.”

Smith and Bowser’s statements didn’t say why she will leave the role or who might replace her. Her last day will be Dec. 31, the statement said.

Smith’s departure comes months after hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to the nation’s capital by President Donald Trump to combat what he said were high levels of violent crime.