AG Pam Bondi appoints emergency Washington, D.C. police chief
Aug. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that DEA Administrator Terrence Cole will temporarily serve as the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department.
"I hereby order the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department to immediately implement the following directives," Bondi said in a press release Thursday. "Effective immediately, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrence C. Cole shall serve as MPD's Emergency Police Commissioner for the duration of the emergency declared by the President."
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday in which he put the district's Metropolitan Police Department under federal control.
Bondi alleged in her order that the "danger posed by violent crime" was evident and declared such danger is "multiplied by the district's sanctuary city policies" as reasons she put Cole in control of the police.
Bondi has also directed Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to eliminate a standing police policy that forbids officers from arresting a person only because of a federal immigration warrant.
Washington, D.C. Chief of Police Pamela Smith has issued new executive orders that allow police to notify ICE agents about subjects not in custody, including during traffic stops, and officers are to help ICE to transport detained suspects.
Washington, D.C.'s Attorney General Brian Schwalb has since called the Trump administration's actions in regard to taking control of the MPD as "unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful."
"There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia," Schwalb stated on social media Monday. "Violent crime in D.C. reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year."
"We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents," he added.
Schwalb then put out a public letter Thursday addressed to Smith, in which he wrote, "It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it."
He cited that while the law does allow Trump to direct Bowser to "provide services of the Metropolitan Police Department in order to address special circumstances of an emergency nature and for federal purposes," it doesn't grant him or anyone serving in his administration to remove or replace the Chief of Police or to make changes to the chain of command within the district's police force.
He further asserted that Trump can't stop or change previous orders or rules issued to the police.
"Under District law, it is the duty of the police force to respect and obey the Chief of Police as the head and chief of the police force, subject to the rules, regulations, and general orders of the Council of the District of Columbia and the Mayor of the District of Columbia," Schwalb added.
"In reference to the U.S. Attorney General's order, there is no statute that conveys the District's personnel authority to a federal official," Bowser posted to X Thursday.
It is unclear if or how district officials would or will effectively deny or ignore any particular directives from either Bondi or Trump.
Federal officers, National Guard patrol Washington
Residents keep with their normal routine and run past National Guard troops on the National Mall near the Washington Monument on August 12, 2025. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
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