Latest news with #PamelaASmith
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DC police to aid in federal immigration enforcement
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will now be able to assist federal agents with immigration enforcement in the District of Columbia, according to a memo issued days after President Trump authorized the deployment of the National Guard to help tackle crime in the nation's capital. MPD officers will be able to share information with immigration authorities about people at traffic stops and provide transportation for federal immigration agency employees and those they have detained. In the Thursday directive, signed by Police Chief Pamela A. Smith, MPD officers will not make any inquiry for the sole purpose of determining a person's immigration status and officers will not make inquiries into an individual's immigration status for the 'purpose of determining whether they have violated the civil immigration laws or for the purpose of enforcing civil immigration laws.' D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has previously said that the District is not a 'sanctuary city.' The city has a policy that limits MPD cooperation with federal immigration agencies. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, said Wednesday that D.C. 'under federal control is not going to be a sanctuary city.' The memo comes three days after the president approved the deployment of the National Guard and other federal agents into the nation's capital to help curb crime, arguing the District is riddled with it. FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday that 45 arrests were made overnight in the nation's capital. Trump's mobilization of the National Guard troops has been protested by some D.C. residents and sparked pushback from Democratic Party lawmakers. In the Thursday directive, Smith said MPD officers will not make arrests based solely on the warrants or detainers issued by federal immigration agencies 'as long as there is no additional criminal warrant or underlying offense for which the individual is subject to arrest.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
D.C. police chief retains position, but perhaps not as much power
D.C. officials who cast President Donald Trump's takeover of the city's police force as an opportunity at the start of the week had declared it an emergency by Friday, suing the administration over its attempt to install an 'emergency police commissioner' with the full powers of police chief and to eliminate policies limiting local police's collaboration with immigration enforcement. The legal battle revolves around a question with a still murky answer as of Friday night: Who is ultimately in charge of law enforcement priorities in the nation's capital? D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith downplayed the takeover in her first communication to officers Monday, writing in an email reviewed by The Washington Post that 'Our relationship working with federal partners is nothing new to MPD.' But Friday, in a sworn declaration in U.S. District Court, she said that Attorney General Pam Bondi's order granting DEA head Terry Cole the full powers of the D.C. chief would 'upend the command structure of MPD, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike.' In the court filing, Smith said that the proposed new command structure would 'wreak operational havoc' on the department. 'The confusion and delays caused by this upending of the command structure will endanger public safety, placing the lives of MPD officers and District residents at grave risk,' she said in the filing. 'There is no greater risk to public safety in paramilitary organization than to not know who is in command.' Yet the city seemed unable to answer that question Friday morning. Asked who is actively issuing orders to officers in the wake of the Bondi order, a D.C. police spokesperson directed questions to the mayor's office. The mayor's office directed questions back to D.C. police. Even U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes did not definitively answer the question in the hearing Friday, as she did not issue a ruling, but rather forged a compromise that kept police under local command. The administration backed off its claim that Cole would act with the powers of police chief, a move that Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) celebrated in a statement Friday night. 'I am pleased to be able to report that, after a day in court and in accordance with Home Rule, Pamela Smith remains our Chief of Police, in command and control of the 3,100 men and women at the Metropolitan Police Department,' Bowser said in the statement. However, under the rewritten order from Bondi, Cole would 'direct' the mayor to provide D.C. police for federal priorities. Bondi signaled that Cole would call on officers to assist in immigration enforcement, a violation of current D.C. police policies, and in clearing homeless encampments. As the legal battle played out in court, Cole addressed D.C. police officers for the first time since Bondi moved to appoint him as 'emergency police commissioner.' According to an X post from the D.C. Police Union, Cole attended the 1st Police District Friday evening roll call and told officers that the 'chain of command is still in place and to follow their lawful orders.' Even as questions mount about who holds more power, D.C. resident have seen the law enforcement presence around the city spike over the course of the week, with more than 1,750 officers and agents participating in the federal crackdown overnight Thursday, according to a White House official. Federal agents sporting FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations vests swarmed three tents at Washington Circle on Thursday night, but drove away without evicting anyone. By Friday, videos posted to social media show D.C. police had returned and cleared the tents, despite some people receiving city health department notices allowing them to remain for several more days. Nearly 30 cars were stopped as part of an operation D.C. police characterized as a standard 'traffic safety compliance checkpoint' at a busy intersection in Northwest Washington on Wednesday night, but dozens of onlookers gathered when they noticed ICE officers appeared to be questioning the drivers who had originally been stopped for minor infractions like seat belt violations or broken taillights. And a weekly comedy show in Columbia Heights turned into an impromptu protest when witnesses say roughly 30 law enforcement officers, including U.S. Border Patrol, gathered to arrest a 25-year-old man riding an illegal dirt bike. In an X post Friday, Bondi touted 189 arrests in D.C. since Trump tapped federal law enforcement to police the nation's capital this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers accounted for 75 of those arrests, according to the post. Bondi's order Thursday sought to abolish policies limiting D.C. police's cooperation with ICE, signaling the Trump administration's desire to use its takeover of D.C. police to crack down on immigration. Over Wednesday and Thursday nights, more than half of the arrests reported by the White House were for immigration enforcement, though it is unclear if they were made with direct involvement from D.C. police. Though federal forces have been visible across the city all week, from National Guard troops in Humvees near the base of the Washington Monument on Wednesday to more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles parked outside a Southeast public housing complex Thursday, no federal officers were spotted at the scene of the District's 100th homicide this year — the first homicide after Trump said that he was federalizing D.C. police. Tymark Wells, of Northwest Washington, was fatally shot around 7 p.m. Monday within a half-mile of two of the high-profile homicides Trump cited in his news conference as examples of crime that federal law enforcement could help prevent. D.C. officers at the scene Monday evening said no federal agencies had participated in the response to the shooting. The power struggle will continue to play out in court next week, when Reyes is expected to rule on whether Trump can direct D.C. police officers to enforce immigration laws. In the meantime, both D.C. police and federal agencies will continue to patrol the District as leadership grapples to establish authority.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Mixed signals over who's in charge of D.C. police after Trump takeover
A day after President Donald Trump said he would deploy the National Guard in the nation's capital, federalized the local police department and issued officers a far-reaching mandate to 'do whatever the hell they want' to curb crime, it remained unclear what new directives, if any, D.C. police would receive from their new federal managers. District officials said they were still in command of the department, operating as usual having received no new orders from the Trump administration. The city's police chief, Pamela A. Smith, has been supplying ideas about how federal law enforcement could be used by D.C. — not the other way around, according to a D.C. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive, ongoing talks. The White House, however, continues to project clear control. 'We plan to work with the D.C. police,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday, 'but ultimately the chain of command is as such: The president of the United States; the attorney general of the United States; our DEA administrator, Terry Cole,' who she said 'is in charge of' the department and is 'working with the chief to ensure that law enforcement officers are allowed to do their jobs in this city.' Meanwhile, D.C. officers, still tasked with daily patrols and tending to crime, remained confused Tuesday about whether and how their jobs would change, according to two officers and one police official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. They said some were worried that the federal intervention threatened to erode the trust of many communities throughout the nation's capital. Others quietly rejoiced, hopeful about a switch-up in leadership. 'It was very encouraging to see everyone at the table, working hard together,' Cole said Tuesday in an interview on Fox News, describing an earlier meeting with senior D.C. police leadership and federal partners." We have direction. We have a vision on how we're going to reduce violent criminal activity in D.C.,' he said, praising the D.C. police chief as 'very accommodating.' Trump's sweeping assertion of federal power Monday was the culmination of years of complaints about D.C. and the president's stated desire to rescue it 'from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor, and worse,' despite a decline in incidents of violent crime year over year. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has disputed Trump's characterization but continued Tuesday to present an air of congeniality toward the White House and a commitment to shared priorities. Her focus, she told reporters after a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi at the Justice Department, 'on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have.' Bondi called the meeting with Bowser 'productive,' writing on social media: 'We agreed that there is nothing more important than keeping residents and tourists in Washington, D.C. safe from deadly crime.' Meanwhile, images of federal officers walking down city streets ricocheted across social media, email inboxes and local group chats as Trump's directives — and the scant details about what they mean in practice — enveloped the city in uncertainty. Smith said Tuesday she has provided Cole with a 'strategic plan' about how resources will be deployed across the city, but declined to offer details. The mayor's office declined to release the strategic plan and declined to explain why. Likewise, the office also would not release the notification that Trump said he made to Bowser triggering the section of the Home Rule Act that activated federal emergency control of police; a request for the correspondence is pending with the White House. On Tuesday, when a reporter asked the police chief what the chain of command was, she responded, 'What do you mean?' The mayor stepped in, saying the 'organizational chart' regarding who is in charge of D.C. police and how the department is funded and conducts itself has not changed. 'The executive order is clear. The president has requested MPD services, and our Home Rule Charter outlines the process. The president designated Bondi as his proxy to request services from me,' Bowser said. The Home Rule Act says the president may 'direct' the mayor to provide him police services for federal purposes, and that the mayor 'shall provide' them to him. But as of late Tuesday morning, the federal government had 'yet to call on those services,' said council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2). 'The chief of police is still in charge of not only the D.C. police, but of crime prevention and crime fighting in Washington, D.C.,' said Pinto, who chairs the council's public safety committee. In Trump's first term, his administration considered taking control of the police force during the summer of 2020 racial justice protests, but ultimately didn't follow through, as D.C. officials warned such a heavy-handed approach would only exacerbate tensions in the city. He did use his executive power to send the National Guard onto city streets and deploy military helicopters. The D.C. police chief at the time, Peter Newsham, said then that his force 'would not respond well' to a federal takeover, warning of 'a morale problem.' Five years later, Newsham still questions whether federal law enforcement is adequately positioned to pick up all the duties of D.C. police. 'I don't think federal officers are trained to do that kind of work,' he said in a recent interview. Most D.C. police officers learned that Trump would take over their department from social media, messages from friends or the news. Their chief had not briefed them by the time she joined Bowser more than four hours later at a Monday news conference and addressed the world, according to the two officers and one police official. One of the officers said he was relieved when he heard Trump's address, which he watched while reviewing arrests with prosecutors. He had long been hoping that Smith would repeal policies that he saw as unfriendly to cops — such as one around police pursuits, which requires police to bear some responsibility for the safety risks to suspects they are chasing. Smith's first communication to officers came just before 6:45 p.m. Monday. In the email, reviewed by The Washington Post, she downplayed the takeover: 'Our relationship working with our federal partners is nothing new to MPD,' she wrote. Hours before, the D.C. police union also emphasized in an email to members that the federalizing of D.C. police was a temporary measure, and stressed that the union did not think it would have any effect on its collective bargaining agreement. 'Thank you all for your patience while your leadership team navigates this unprecedented event,' concluded the email, reviewed by The Post. The union came out in support of Trump's temporary control of the force, saying that 'crime is spiraling out of control' and that the department has been crippled by 'chronic mismanagement,' 'radical policies' and 'staffing shortages' in a statement Monday. As of early August, there are currently 3,179 sworn members of D.C. police, according to a department spokesperson. The mayor and D.C. police leadership have previously discussed the goal of getting the department back to 4,000 officers. Planning is ongoing for how the D.C. National Guard will operate on the streets of Washington, and it is not yet clear where Guard members will be or whether they will carry firearms, a defense official familiar with the operation said Tuesday afternoon. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussion, said one likely possibility is that Guard members will have weapons available to them, but not in hand. But the official said discussions could evolve with planning. The Guard members are expected to be mainly in static positions in locations of the District that have not yet been finalized, the official said. It's unlikely that the troops will be in their body armor and helmets, considering the civil law enforcement nature of the mission, the official added. 'The idea here is to have presence and contribute to the community,' the official said. 'We're not picking the spots. It's in coordination with the police.' Ellie Silverman, Emma Uber and Tara Copp contributed to this report.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Multiple teens arrested after DC police enforce curfew for Memorial Day Weekend
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Multiple teenagers were arrested Friday after D.C. police increased their presence for Memorial Day Weekend. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) states that two teens were arrested in the Navy Yard area, with one being charged with possession of a high-capacity feeding device and the other charged with public consumption of marijuana. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Youth curfew goes into place at DC's Wharf over Memorial Day Weekend Police also responded around 1 a.m. to a group of teens acting 'disorderly' along the U Street corridor, resulting in six teens being stopped for violating curfew. Within the group, two teens were arrested for carrying a pistol without a license. Police say the group quickly dispersed after police's response. 'We hope our residents and visitors take the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend in our city. Our officers will be out and highly visible,' said Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith. 'I want to thank our officers for their continued dedication and the work they're doing throughout this holiday weekend.' MPD reminds the public to report any suspicious activity by calling police at (202) 727-9099 or texting the tip line at 50411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Afternoon Update: two Israeli embassy staff shot dead in US; Coalition tries to mend split; and a ruinous relationship with an undercover cop
Good afternoon. Two Israeli embassy staff have been shot dead near a Washington DC Jewish museum. A suspect is in custody, after being apprehended by security staff while entering the museum. He was not on any security watchlists, and there were no heightened security threats before the shooting, officials said. Police chief Pamela A Smith said when the suspect was taken into custody, he began chanting 'free, free Palestine'. Follow live updates here. Sussan Ley and David Littleproud signal Coalition reunification possible amid renewed talks NSW floods: second person dead and 'grave fears' for two still missing as crisis worsens 'Shroud of secrecy' over investigation into Bruce Lehrmann rape accusations, lawyer tells court Trump falsely claims Australia being 'inundated' by white South Africans fleeing 'genocide' Khaled Sabsabi says 'common sense has prevailed' after Monash University allows exhibition to go ahead After two thumping election losses, the Liberal party has a lot of soul-searching to do if it wants to win back voters, especially in Chinese Australian communities. In its post-2022 election review, the party admitted more work needed to be done to win votes with Chinese Australians after electorates with significant communities all voted against the Liberal party at a higher rate than others. Bertin Huynh, a Guardian Australia multimedia journalist and producer, looks at why the drubbing repeated in 2025. 'Mate, I'm a winner.' Despite being under pressure to retain his job, Tottenham's Australian coach Ange Postecoglou insisted he is a 'winner' who wants to keep building after the Spurs beat Manchester United 1-0 to claim the Europa League, the club's first piece of silverware since 2008. As Martin Pegan writes, Postecoglou stuck to his words from last year that 'I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year'. A coronial inquest examining the fatal stabbing of six people by Joel Cauchi at Westfield Bondi Junction in April 2024 heard from a panel of psychiatrists who provided expert opinions on Cauchi's treatment. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The court heard that clozapine – which can have severe side-effects – was generally considered a lifelong medication for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia due to a high relapse rate of 77% after one year and 90% after two years for those who stopped taking it. Spies, lies and betrayal: my ruinous relationship with an undercover cop The first partner Kate Wilson had ever moved in with, a partner she had dated for 16 months, and friends for years after, turned out to be an undercover police officer who was spying on her. Today's starter word is: TEG. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
