WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C.’s police chief is back in charge of the department after the Trump administration quickly reversed an order that had stripped her of authority less than a day after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued it.
Under an agreement reached Friday between attorneys from the Department of Justice and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office, Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Terry Cole will now serve as Bondi’s “designee,” rather than taking over as emergency police chief—a position Bondi initially sought that would have placed federal control over the department.
The agreement allows Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith to continue overseeing the day-to-day operations of her department while remaining under the supervision of Mayor Muriel Bowser.
In a new order issued Friday evening, Bondi directed Bowser to have the police department assist with immigration enforcement and respond to database inquiries or requests for information from any federal law enforcement agency. This move effectively eliminates Washington, D.C.’s “sanctuary city” status.
At a news conference following Friday’s federal court hearing, Schwalb, who had filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s attempt to seize control of the police department, celebrated the outcome.
“The key for today is to know that our effort to avoid a hostile takeover of our police force is not going to happen,” he told reporters. “Chief Smith remains in control of the police department under the supervision of our mayor.”
Schwalb’s office argued in its lawsuit, which also challenged President Donald Trump‘s order from Monday, that the initial directives exceeded federal authority. They stated that such requests can only be made temporarily and in emergencies. The office requested a temporary restraining order to prevent the takeover, arguing that D.C. would “suffer devastating and irreparable harms” if the Trump administration succeeded.
“The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home,” Schwalb said in a statement. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
The lawsuit noted that implementing Bondi’s order would “upend the entire command structure of MPD and sow chaos among the more than 3,100 officers serving the District, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike.”
In a sworn declaration supporting the suit, Smith said she had “never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive.”
“If effectuated, the Bondi Order would upend the command structure of MPD, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike,” Smith said.
Schwalb’s office maintained that Trump only had authority to request services for “federal purposes,” and Congress did not grant him the power to replace D.C.’s police chief.
Mayor Bowser, who had initially complied with Trump’s earlier directive, agreed that Bondi’s first order had overstepped federal authority.
“Let us be clear about what the law requires during a Presidential declared emergency: it requires the mayor of Washington, DC to provide the services of the Metropolitan Police Department for federal purposes at the request of the President. We have followed the law,” Bowser wrote on X. “In reference to the U.S. Attorney General’s order, there is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”
Trump justified his Monday order by citing several high-profile violent incidents and said National Guard troops needed to be deployed to D.C., along with federal control of the police. Bowser pushed back, noting that violent crime in Washington has dropped significantly. According to federal data released in January, violent crime in 2024 was at its lowest level in over three decades, down 35% from the previous year.
The mayor described Trump’s actions as “unprecedented” and an “authoritarian push,” though she acknowledged his authority to issue the order.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Trump’s order the “first step in stopping the violent crime that has been plaguing the streets of Washington, DC.”
Under the Home Rule Act, Trump can federalize D.C.’s police for only 30 days unless Congress approves an extension. He said Wednesday that he plans to request a longer-term extension, which would require support from some Democrats to pass.
