Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith announced on Monday that she would be resigning from her position at the end of the year, after serving just over two years in the post. Many feel that Smith is a prime example of how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hires can and often do, place an unqualified individual in critical roles.
During the announcement, Smith made it abundantly clear she’s neither qualified nor competent enough to occupy the position after she was asked by a reporter, “Do you know what the chain of command is now?” The D.C. police chief responded, “What does that mean?”
Smith was appointed as the department’s top cop by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, in July 2023. During that year, D.C. saw a record 20-year high in homicides. The following year, violent crime dropped by 35%. Homicides, assaults with a dangerous weapon, and robberies declined by 32%, 27%, and 39% respectively.
The violent crime rate for 2025 is down 28% compared to this same point in time last year. Murders, assaults with a dangerous weapon, and robberies have been reduced by 30%, 10%, and 36% respectively. However, there’s one problem. The MPD, which Smith leads until the end of the year, is now being investigated by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for potentially fudging the numbers after allegations from a whistleblower emerged.
“I am deeply humbled, grateful, and deeply appreciative of my time with the District of Columbia,” Smith went on to say in a statement concerning her resignation. “Serving as Chief of Police has been the greatest honor of my career.” Mayor Bowser put out a statement of her own heaping praise on Smith for her performance in the role.
Bowser spoke highly of Smith for opening the District’s Real-Time Crime Center, deploying new and more effective technology, and working closely with the D.C. Council to get legislation passed concerning accountability, according to a report from The Hill. A spokesperson for the mayor confirmed Smith’s last day on the job will be December 31.
“The trends the city was facing post-pandemic really required somebody with deep experience that could move a very able organization of men and women in MPD, and that’s exactly what she did,” Bowser remarked, recounting the beginning of Smith’s run as police chief.
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“We worked with the D.C. Council to pass very needed comprehensive legislation that reset our accountability and public safety ecosystem in the district,” Bowser added, according to WTOP. “Chief Smith got all this done while navigating really unprecedented challenges and attacks on the city’s autonomy.”
During the news conference on Monday, Smith said, “I’ve been running for 28 years, this has really been a fast paced role because it is in a major city, and I know the challenges that we faced have. We’ve had some some some high points, that we’ve had some low points, but respectfully, right now, this is a personal decision for myself and for my family.”
The D.C. police union also offered Smith praise, but also raised a series of questions about her resignation. “However, the Union questions the timing of this announcement, which comes amid active investigations by the House Oversight Committee and the Department of Justice into allegations of manipulation of crime statistics and mismanagement within the MPD,” the union’s statement read.