By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
WASHINGTON — Pamela A. Smith has been nominated by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to become D.C.'s next chief of police, FOX5 reports.
Smith is the first Black female police chief in the Metropolitan Police Department’s history.
The mayor’s team had a national search for the next chief of police. Smith was nominated from within the department.
“I truly believe in the crime-fighting strategies that we have here in the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department,” Smith said. “One of the things that we will continue to do is enhance our traffic safety compliance checkpoints. We will redeploy our offices in areas where we have high crime areas. We will re-focus our recruitment efforts, and we will also look at ensuring that we are highly visible in our communities. As a law enforcement officer and a member of this community, I am also troubled by the crime that is plaguing this city, which is why it is important for me to be engaged in wanting to make the District of Columbia safer.”
Smith has been a law enforcement officer for 24 years, rising through the ranks in different positions throughout the country. She joined MPD in 2022, becoming the department’s first chief equity officer. Smith said the first thing she wants to do as chief is drive down crime.