Latest news with #directive
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US attorney general names DEA boss Cole as DC's 'emergency police commissioner'
WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive, opens new tab late on Thursday naming Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole as the "emergency police commissioner" of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department. The move drew immediate criticism from DC's Mayor Muriel Bowser and District Attorney General Brian Schwalb. Bowser said there was nothing in the law that gave "the District's personnel authority to a federal official." On X, Bowser shared a letter written by AG Schwalb which said that Bondi's order was "unlawful," and that the current police chief was not legally obligated to follow it. "Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police," Bondi's directive said, adding Cole will have the authority to issue orders that apply to MPD members. MPD's existing leadership, including the current police chief and bureau heads, "must receive approval from Commissioner Cole before issuing any further directives to the MPD," Bondi's order said. Section 740 of the Home Rule Act "does not authorize the President, or his delegee, to remove or replace the Chief of Police; to alter the chain of command within MPD;... The Bondi Order is, therefore, ultra vires." DC AG Schwalb said. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week he was deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city's police department to curb what he has depicted as a crime emergency in the U.S. capital, though statistics show incidents of violent crime have dropped. Trump, a Republican, said on Wednesday he will seek long-term federal control of Washington's police force to crack down on crime, engaging in an escalating campaign to exert presidential power over the nation's capital, a Democratic stronghold. Bowser, a Democrat, has pushed back on Trump's claims that crime is rising, noting that violent crime hit its lowest level in more than three decades last year. Both federal and city crime statistics show that violent crime in Washington has declined sharply since a peak in 2023. Trump called the statistics "fraud." Trump has previously threatened to expand his efforts to other Democratic-run cities, such as Chicago, that he also claims have failed to address crime. Trump's extraordinary moves in Washington are reflective of how he has approached his second term in office, shattering legal concerns to test the limits of his office's power. (This story has been refiled to add Muriel Bowser's last name in paragraph 2)
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
US attorney general names DEA boss Cole as DC's ‘emergency police commissioner'
US Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive late on Thursday naming Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole as the 'emergency police commissioner' of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department. 'Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police,' Bondi's directive said, adding Cole will have the authority to issue orders that apply to MPD members. MPD's existing leadership, including the current police chief and bureau heads, 'must receive approval from Commissioner Cole before issuing any further directives to the MPD,' Bondi's order said. US President Donald Trump said earlier this week he was deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city's police department to curb what he has depicted as a crime emergency in the US capital, though statistics show incidents of violent crime have dropped. Trump, a Republican, said on Wednesday he will seek long-term federal control of Washington's police force to crack down on crime, engaging in an escalating campaign to exert presidential power over the nation's capital, a Democratic stronghold. Muriel Bowser, Washington's mayor and a Democrat, has pushed back on Trump's claims that crime is rising, noting that violent crime hit its lowest level in more than three decades last year. Both federal and city crime statistics show that violent crime in Washington has declined sharply since a peak in 2023. Trump called the statistics 'fraud.' Trump has previously threatened to expand his efforts to other Democratic-run cities, such as Chicago, that he also claims have failed to address crime. Trump's extraordinary moves in Washington are reflective of how he has approached his second term in office, shattering legal concerns to test the limits of his office's power.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- RNZ News
Police Commissioner calls shoplifting directive 'unhelpful'
The Prime Minister, Police Commissioner and Police Minister have all been forced to hose down concerns over an internal police memo directing officers not to investigate crimes under a certain value. The nationwide internal directive, made public by RNZ, set the cut off for petrol drive off at $150, $500 for shoplifting and $1000 for fraud, including online scams. The instruction was to file those cases regardless of lines of inquiry or solvability. Police Minister Mark Mitchell spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- RNZ News
Police Commissioner slams shoplifting directive
crime police 26 minutes ago The Police Commissioner has slammed a shoplifting directive issued to police, labelling it as "confusing and unhelpful". National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood spoke to Charlotte Cook.
