DC Police Leadership Changes Amid Legal Dispute

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is challenging the sanctuary policy of the DC Metropolitan Police Department. On Thursday, she announced the appointment of Terrence Cole as the emergency police chief, even as DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Columbia District Attorney General Brian Schwalb expressed their opposition. Bowser took to social media to assert that there’s no legal basis for federal officials to direct local personnel in response to Bondi’s order.

The mayor also included a correspondence from Schwalb, which noted that the mandate from Bondi was “illegal,” suggesting that Police Chief Pamela Smith is not required to comply with it.

In her directive, Bondi stated that police leadership “must receive approval from Chairman Cole before issuing further orders to the MPD.” She also rescinded a recently issued executive order by the police chief and paused several general orders regarding regulations about public space occupancy in the Columbia district.

This conflict escalates as President Trump has moved to intensify efforts to combat crime in the capital. Recently, he issued a presidential order stipulating that the mayor must provide metropolitan police services for federal needs, following the maximum duration allowed under section 740 of the Home Rules Act.

Schwalb countered in his letter that the Home Rules Act does not grant the President or his appointees the authority to alter the police command structure or to demand services from entities other than the MPD, deeming Bondi’s actions “Ultra Virus.”