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.
Two National Guard members were shot last month amid the deployment; one died and the other is “slowly healing,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday.
Bowser recently announced she will not run for re-election.
Bowser’s statement said Smith was appointed during a “challenging time” for D.C. in which the focus was to drive down crime. She listed some of Smith’s accomplishments, including opening the city's Real-Time Crime Center while “navigating unprecedented challenges and attacks on our city’s autonomy.”
“Chief Smith dramatically drove down violent crime, drove down the homicide rate to its lowest levels in eight years, and helped us restore a sense of safety and accountability in our neighborhoods,” Bowser said. “We are grateful for her service to Washington, DC.”
In her statement, Smith said her role was both challenging and rewarding and thanked D.C. residents for their “trust and partnership.” She said D.C. made “tremendous progress, and there remains work ahead.”
“I am confident that the department is in a strong position and that the great work will continue, moving in a positive trajectory to combat crime and enhance public safety. Washington, D.C., is an extraordinary place to live, visit and work, and I remain inspired by the resilience and spirit of this community,” Smith said.
Smith’s career as chief of police
Before becoming chief, Smith had 25 years of police experience at the federal and local levels. She served as the chief of the U.S. Park Police, the Metropolitan Police Department's first chief equity officer and assistant chief of the department's Homeland Security Bureau.
In 2023, D.C. experienced its most violent year in nearly two decades after a spike in homicides and carjackings. The crime led to congressional hearings and resulted in new crime legislation from Bowser and the D.C. Council. They authorized police tactics including designating drug-free zones in high-crime areas.
In the first two-and-a-half months of 2024, the overall crime rate went down 17%. Smith credited the new crime law and new deployments of officers for the drop in crime.
Over the summer, Smith issued youth curfew zones in Navy Yard and U Street to keep young people from gathering at night after a rowdy night in Navy Yard. In November, the council voted to extend authority to the chief of police to declare juvenile curfew zones for another three months.
