WASHINGTON — Less than 24 hours after ordering a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police force, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has reversed course, issuing a new directive that keeps Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith in her role as top officer.
The about-face came Friday after attorneys from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office reached a legal agreement in federal court. Under the revised order, Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Terry Cole will serve as Bondi’s “designee” for oversight purposes, but not as emergency police chief — the role Bondi had initially attempted to impose in a sweeping assertion of federal control.
Chief Smith Stays in Charge
The compromise allows Chief Smith to retain day-to-day command of the 3,100-member force, reporting to Mayor Muriel Bowser as usual. While federal oversight will be present, the District avoided what Schwalb described as a “hostile takeover” of its police department.
“This is a victory for our city,” Schwalb told reporters outside the courthouse. “Chief Smith remains in control of the police department under the supervision of our mayor.”
New Federal Demands
Bondi’s revised order wasn’t without consequences. The DOJ has directed Mayor Bowser to instruct MPD to assist in federal immigration enforcement and comply with information-sharing requests from national law enforcement agencies. The move effectively dismantles D.C.’s longstanding “sanctuary city” policies.
Legal Battle Over Home Rule
Schwalb’s lawsuit, filed earlier in the week, challenged both President Donald Trump’s executive order and Bondi’s original directive, arguing they exceeded the federal government’s legal authority under the Home Rule Act. His office sought a temporary restraining order, warning that a full takeover would cause “devastating and irreparable harms” to the city and its residents.
“The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home,” Schwalb said. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced.”
Chief Smith, in a sworn declaration supporting the lawsuit, echoed those concerns:
“I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive,” she wrote. “If effectuated, the Bondi order would upend the MPD’s command structure and endanger both the public and our officers.”
Limits on Federal Authority
Schwalb’s office contends that the president may request services from the District for federal purposes, but Congress has not granted authority to replace the city’s police chief or restructure the department.
For now, Smith remains in charge — but under new federal conditions that may test the balance between local autonomy and Washington’s unique status under congressional oversight.
