In major news that came on the evening of Thursday, August 14, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order in which she appointed a new Emergency Police commissioner whose power will override that of DC Metro Police Chief Pamela Smith and grant police officers in Washington, D.C., enough power to deal with illegal aliens alongside federal authorities, overiding the city’s sanctuary policies.
The order in which she established Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as the new Emergency Police Commissioner effective immediately was titled “Restoring safety and security to the District of Columbia,” and builds upon President Trump’s executive order, “Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia.”
Beginning the order by noting that those in the nation’s capital should be safe, AG Bondi said, “Residents of the District of Columbia, the thousands of Americans who commute into the District for work every day, and the millions of tourists from all over the world who visit our Nation’s capital have a right to feel safe and to be free from the scourge of violent crime.”
Continuing, Bondi explained that the crime problem justifies much more federal involvement than was previously the case, saying, “Notwithstanding false media narratives and apparent efforts by some District employees to manipulate crime statistics, the danger posed by violent crime in the District is plain for all to see. As Executive Order 14333 of August 11, 2025 (Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia), makes clear, the “rising violence in the capital now urgently endangers public servants, citizens, and tourists” and is impeding the proper functioning of the Federal Government.”
Then, getting to the sanctuary city issue and why it must be ended, she said, “These dangers are multiplied by the District’s sanctuary city policies, which actively shield criminal aliens from the consequences required by federal law. The proliferation of illegal aliens into our country during the prior Administration, including into our Nation’s capital, presents extreme public safety and national security risks to our country.”
And, naming Cole as the Emergency Police Commissioner, Bondi said, “Pursuant to section 3 of Executive Order 14333 and section 740(a) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, I hereby order the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) to immediately implement the following directives: (1) Effective immediately, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrence C. Cole shall serve as MPD’s Emergency Police Commissioner for the durationthe emergency declared by the President. Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police.”
Alongside that order, which goes on to grant Cole sweeping powers to override DC officials, Bondi expressly rescinded three orders that have been issued by the Metro Police establishing sanctuary city policies by forbidding officers from cooperating with immigration authorities in most circumstances. “To the extent that provisions in this Order conflict with any existing MPD directives, those directives are hereby rescinded,” Bondi wrote.
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As could be expected, DC politicians freaked out in the wake of the order. For example, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called Bondi’s order “unlawful,” saying, as ABC News reported, “Therefore, members of MPD must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor.”
Watch National Guard troopers arrive in DC to deal with the crime situation here: