Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday night issued a directive that places the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terry Cole, as Washington, D.C.’s “emergency police commissioner.”
The position will give Cole the same authority as Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith, who reports directly to Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. It is not clear what Smith will be doing while the Trump administration takes over the city’s law enforcement.
President Donald Trump on Monday federalized the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and deployed 800 National Guard troops in the capital city to help curb the district’s high crime rate.
Cole, who previously worked as Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security before leading the DEA, will assume the “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police,” and the MPD must “receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders, according to the Associated Press.
Bondi also rescinded Smith’s order that permitted MPD officers to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in a limited capacity, along with other MPD policies that limit inquiries into immigration status and prevent MPD from arresting suspected illegal migrants based solely on federal immigration warrants.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.
