Pamela Smith was named head of the Metropolitan Police Department by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday, making her the District’s first Black woman to serve as chief of police.
Acting Chief Smith joined MPD in 2022 as chief equity officer before her most recent role as assistant chief heading the homeland security division.
She worked for the U.S. Park Police for more than two decades. She retired after climbing the ranks to become the department’s chief of police — the first Black woman in that role as well.
The acting chief must be confirmed by the D.C. Council before she becomes the permanent successor to former Chief Robert Contee III, who left the department at the end of May to join the FBI.
“This historic moment is not lost on me,” acting Chief Smith said to a crowd gathered at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library downtown. “I have a message for young women who are watching this today: No matter where you come from, no matter your challenges that you face, or the adversity that is in your way, if you choose to serve in law enforcement or any other career, you become an integral part of any community.”
She will take over the department while the District faces two historic public safety challenges: a daunting recruitment crisis and a city besieged by violent crime.
The 3,300 active-duty force is a 50-year low for the nation’s capital. The trend started after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated when anti-police rhetoric became fashionable among liberal politicians and the public in the wake of the 2020 death of George Floyd.
The dramatic rise in crime has coincided with growing criticism in the department.
The District is on track to exceed 200 homicides for the third year in a row — a milestone not reached in more than two decades — as carjackings, robberies, sexual assaults and assaults with dangerous weapons outpace last year’s totals.
The District has reported a 36% increase in violent crime overall from 2022. Total crime has increased by 30%.
Two homicides in the past week — a cyclist killed while riding home before dawn Saturday and a construction worker killed Thursday morning on his way to work at Howard University’s campus — have reinforced the sense that the crime wave is unpredictable.
Acting Chief Smith said she would confront the city’s violent streak by directing police to high-crime areas, focusing investigations on violent people and pushing officers to have a visible presence in the communities they serve. She also committed to adjusting crime-fighting strategies and redeploying resources as needed.
“We must tackle the violent crime issues that we are experiencing in the District,” the acting chief said. “The community wants the police to be the police and do so in a constitutional, safe and respectful manner. Make no mistake about it: I will be laser-focused to ensure that we do everything we can in this space.”
The acting chief, a Ward 8 resident, said she feels safe where she lives. Ward 8 has borne the brunt of the District’s violence dating to the blood-soaked years of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ms. Bowser said creating a policy to address illegal firearms, mainly by keeping offenders off the streets, was a top priority for public safety.
The acting chief demurred when asked to assess the mood in the department.
“I can’t put a gauge on whether morale is low or not,” she said. “What I can say is that I believe we have the best officers working at the Metropolitan Police Department. I think in order for how I lead again is, I believe, from the front being present for the officers attending roll calls, going out to the districts, conducting ride-alongs with my officers, and also just being present for them and listening to them and hearing from the voices of the employees.”
Ms. Bowser and Lindsey Appiah, deputy mayor for public safety and justice, didn’t delve into how many people had been considered for the top cop job.
Ms. Bowser said dozens of qualified candidates inside and outside MPD interviewed for the job. Ms. Appiah said the nationwide search included people from large and small departments, and she stressed that MPD didn’t have trouble finding people who wanted to be the District’s police chief.
The Washington Times previously reported that candidates from Baltimore and Chicago were in consideration but acting Chief Smith was pegged as the internal front-runner.
“We have a leader with experience who’s focused on crime fighting and can start on Day One,” Ms. Bowser said. “I’ve done my best with all that I know about the District, where we are and what we need to select the right leader for this moment, and that’s Pam Smith.”
A handful of local legislators received Ms. Bowser’s nominee well.
“Congratulations to Chief Smith on her nomination,” wrote Kenyan McDuffie, an at-large member of the D.C. Council. “Public safety is my top priority, and I look forward to discussing her vision for ensuring that residents, visitors and businesses are safe and secure in our Nation’s Capital.”
Brooke Pinto, the Ward 2 council member and chair of the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, said in a statement that she is “eager to partner with our next Chief to ensure that they and our law enforcement officers have the tools they need to address the growing rates of crime and violence affecting our communities.”
Ms. Pinto helped pass emergency legislation last week that gives judges more latitude to lock up violent adult and juvenile suspects before trial.
She will hold a hearing this fall to inquire about Chief Smith’s vision for MPD and how she will tackle the city’s violent crime problem.
Acting Chief Smith talked about her upbringing in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She said both of her parents struggled with drug addiction and she and her two siblings ended up in foster care.
The acting chief worked in the Federal Bureau of Prisons before joining the U.S. Park Police in 1998. She worked on drug enforcement in the Park Police’s San Francisco field office and later joined the federal agency’s New York field office to handle explosive ordinance and detection.
She went on to serve as an instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia.
As MPD’s chief equity officer, she was in charge of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. She oversaw the creation of an internal channel for the chief and executive leadership to discuss accountability issues.
She earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a graduate certificate in criminal justice education from the University of Virginia. She also graduated from the FBI’s national academy.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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