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Who is Pamela Smith? District of Columbia's first Black female police chief resigns months after "chain of command" controversy

Pamela Smith is resigning from her position and her last day as the head of department will be December 31, 2025.
posted by Aaratrika Bal
Monday 12/8/2025 at 9:08AM EST
  • WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 4: Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police Pamela Smith, accompanied by (L-R) U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks during a news conference on an arrest of a suspect in the January 6th pipe bombing case at the Department of Justice on December 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. Federal agents have arrested a suspect they are charging with placing two pipe bombs, which never exploded, the night before the January 6th, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
    WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 4: Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police Pamela Smith, accompanied by (L-R) U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks during a news conference on an arrest of a suspect in the January 6th pipe bombing case at the Department of Justice on December 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. Federal agents have arrested a suspect they are charging with placing two pipe bombs, which never exploded, the night before the January 6th, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

    DC Police Chief Pamela Smith announced on Monday that she is resigning from her position. This resignation happened months after the "chain of command" controversy in August 2025. Meanwhile, a statement has also been issued by Smith amid her decision to step down from her position.

    In her statement, Smith called her role "both challenging and rewarding." For the unversed, Pamela Smith has become the first Black female police chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. For the unversed, her career with MPD began in 2022 as a chief equity officer for the department. Prior to that, from 2021 to 2022, Smith was the chief of police at the United States Park Police. 

    Born in January 1968 in Arkansas, Pamela Smith reportedly was in foster care for a brief period. After graduating from Pine Bluff High School, Smith attended University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992. She later also got a graduate certificate in criminal justice education from the University of Virginia.

    According to Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Smith graduated from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy. The website suggested that she began her law enforcement career back in the year 1998. In her career, Pamela Smith served in various roles, such as patrol officer, field training officer, canine handler, and academy instructor.

    A few months back, Smith got involved in a controversy in which she said that she only reports to Mayor Muriel Bowser. The confusion sparked since it was reported that Pam Bondi was incharge of the police department in Washington, DC. In August, after making this remark, Smith even urged reporters to not make a controversy out of it and said,

    "Because I know people want to build upon and create division. We're here to work together with our federal partners, and that's what we're going to do."

    In her statement, Pamela Smith expressed her gratitude to Mayor Muriel Bowser for appointing her to her position

    As previously mentioned, Pamela Smith issued a detailed statement after announcing that she was stepping down from her position at the Metropolitan Police Department. In the statement, Smith thanked Mayor Muriel Bowser for appointing her in the department.

    "I want to extend my sincere thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser for appointing me to this position and to the DC Council for their steadfast support throughout my tenure," said Smith.

    Further in the statement, Pamela Smith said that she was confirmed that the department was capable of continuing good work after her departure. She further described the capital city as an "extraordinary place to live, visit, and work."

    For the unversed, Bowser nominated her in July 2023, and the nomination was confirmed by the DC Council in November of the same year.

    According to reports by FOX5DC, she was in charge when President Donald Trump issued an emergency order that led to the federalization of the city police. The outlet further reported that Pamela Smith's final day as the head of the department would be December 31, 2025. 

    TOPICS: Pamela Smith, Resign