Bondi names DEA head as emergency DC police chief

A federal move to run DC policing for 30 days triggers questions about local control and civil liberties.

Bondi names DEA head as emergency DC police chief

In Washington, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Justice Department will name DEA Administrator Terrence C. Cole as Emergency Police Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department for the duration of the President’s declared emergency. The action follows President Trump’s directive to take control of local policing and to deploy federal forces to curb violence in the capital. The order states Cole shall assume all powers and duties of the District of Columbia Chief of Police, effectively shifting authority away from MPD Chief Pamela Smith.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said Smith will continue to lead operations and work with federal counterparts named by the President to coordinate deployments, with hundreds of officers expected on peak nights. Bondi cited sanctuary policies and the need to address crime as reasons for the federal appointment, while Smith’s recent directive to notify ICE about undocumented immigrants has drawn attention. Local officials are evaluating the implications while maintaining that the city still has a role in policing decisions and community safety.

This is a rare instance of direct federal management over a city police force and it tests the limits of DC home rule. By naming a federal administrator to run MPD, the administration signals a heavy reliance on centralized decision-making during a crime crackdown. The move risks expanding federal influence at the expense of local accountability and raises questions about how oversight, budget, and day-to-day policing will operate in practice. In the weeks ahead, residents and civil-liberties groups will watch whether the arrangement improves safety or undermines trust between police and the communities they serve.

Highlights

The situation tests how far federal powers can extend into city policing without rewriting local governance.