"Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Smith's departure on Monday, praising her leadership during a period of significant urgency for the nation's capital. Chief Smith got all of this done while navigating unprecedented challenges and attacks on our city's autonomy, Bowser said in a statement. Chief Smith dramatically drove down violent crime, drove down the homicide rate to its lowest levels in eight years, and helped us restore a sense of safety and accountability in our neighborhoods."
"She told Fox 5 the resignation was instead driven by a desire to spend more time with family. I have been going nonstop. I have missed many amazing celebrations, birthdays, marriages, you name it, within our family, she said. And being able to come home for Thanksgiving two years after my mom passed really resonated with me."
"The departure marks the second major leadership change in Washington in weeks as the city grapples with Trump's aggressive assertions of federal authority over local governance."
Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith is resigning after less than two years amid an ongoing battle over control of the city's law enforcement as Donald Trump moved to federalize the Metropolitan police department. Mayor Muriel Bowser praised Smith's leadership during significant urgency and credited Smith with dramatically reducing violent crime and lowering the homicide rate to its lowest in eight years, restoring safety and accountability. Smith became the first Black woman to lead the department in 2023. She said the resignation was driven by a desire to spend more time with family and was unrelated to National Guard deployments. Resignation reportedly effective December 31; successor timeline unclear.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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