In this article, you will find the reason why Pamela Smith, the police chief of Washington D.C., decided to resign after less than two years in the job. She became an important figure because she was the first black woman to lead the Metropolitan Police Department. Her resignation happened in a very complicated moment for Washington D.C., since it has been in a political fight with President Donald Trump, who tried to take federal control of the city’s police. So, let’s learn more about Pamela Smith’s resignation.
Pamela Smith and political conflict in Washington D.C.
Pamela Smith decided to resign as a police chief of Washington D.C. after a short but intense period. The U.S. President issued an executive order that temporarily placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control for 30 days, which led to disagreements between the federal government and the city’s leaders, who value Washington D.C.’s ability to manage its own local matters.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Smith’s departure and thanked her for her leadership during what she called a very urgent time for the city. Bowser also explained that Smith helped reduce violent crime, lowered the homicide rate to its lowest level in eight years, and helped bring a stronger sense of safety to the city’s neighborhoods.
Smith’s resignation is even more notable because it happened just weeks after Bowser announced she would not run for reelection in 2026.Her decision came after months of dealing with the Trump administration over control of the police and immigration enforcement issues.
What Pamela said about her resignation
As you can imagine, the political situation was complicated, but Pamela Smith stated that her resignation had nothing to do with Trump’s actions or the deployment of National Guard troops in the city. The reason behind her decision was that she wanted to spend more time with her family because Pamela had been working nonstop for a long time. She said she had missed many important moments with her loved ones, and that coming home for Thanksgiving—two years after her mother passed away—made her stop and think about her life and what really matters to her.
According to reports, Smith plans to officially leave her position on December 31. Mayor Bowser did not say when a new police chief would be chosen or whether this leadership change would affect the city’s larger public safety plans.
Crime situation in Washington D.C. at that time
When Pamela Smith first became chief, Washington D.C. was going through one of its most violent periods in almost twenty years. In 2023, the city had 274 homicides — the highest number since 1997 — and carjackings also reached a record high of 959. These issues forced the city to make changes, including creating drug-free zones in high-crime neighborhoods and rewriting parts of the criminal code. Congress even held hearings to address the rise in violence.
However, in 2024, the city started to improve: crime lowered about 17% in the first 10 weeks of the year. Smith said that new laws and more targeted police deployments helped reduce crime. In January 2025, the Justice Department reported that violent crime in Washington D.C. had fallen by 35% from 2023. This was the lowest level in more than 30 years.
So…
Even though Pamela Smith said she stepped down for personal reasons, her departure comes during a complex period for the city. Now Washington D.C. needs to choose a new police chief who can keep working on safety issues in the city and help manage the complicated situation between local leaders and the federal government.