D.C. Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith has been approved by the D.C. Council to lead the city’s police department on a permanent basis.
Smith’s unanimous confirmation Tuesday comes as homicide and violent crime levels in the District reach levels not seen since the 1990s.
Smith took over as acting chief in July after serving for more than 25 years as a member of the U.S. Park Police, where she rose to the rank of chief.
She’s the second woman named to lead D.C.’s police force and the first Black woman to take on the role. In a statement Tuesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she’s proud to have Smith at the helm of D.C. police.
“Our community understands the urgency to both drive down crime and build up MPD. Chief Smith hit the ground running in July, sharing her story and vision, making sure she was accessible to residents and businesses, and prioritizing common-sense solutions to long-standing challenges,” Bowser said.
Smith’s taking the job at a time when homicides have surged and closure rates for murders have dropped to 42%.
As of the second week of November, 235 homicides have been recorded in D.C. this year. According to D.C. police data, that’s an increase of 33% over last year.
There are also concerns about the surge in motor vehicle thefts, including violent carjackings. According to the latest data from the police department’s website, there have been a total of 5,996 motor vehicle thefts.
Juvenile and violent crime has also been a major concern. The impact of crime on communities led Ward 8 Council member Trayon White to call for the National Guard to be deployed in August to help quell the crime rate in the nation’s capital.
Smith said when she was appointed acting chief that she’s well aware of the spike in violent crime.
“It bothers me, and it certainly upsets me,” Smith said. “My job as the chief of police is to make sure that we drive down crime, and I won’t be satisfied until we do that.”
Local leaders react
At large council member Anita Bonds said of Smith, “Her leadership style gives our community hope.”
At large Council member Robert White said, “We need her to succeed because we are in the midst of a public safety crisis.”
Ward 3 Council member Matthew Frumin said he wants to see officers more visible in the community.
“It is really important that we get folks out of their cars and on the streets, forging relationships with businesses, forging relationships with the residents,” said Frumin.
Otherwise, said White, “When people don’t know their officers on the beat, they don’t talk to officers. And if they don’t talk to officers, we’re not closing cases.”
Recruitment and morale on the force were also discussed by council members as they ticked off the issues facing Chief Smith. Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau said, “Even with $25,000 signing bonuses, MPD struggles to recruit” enough officers to keep up with those leaving the department.
Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen said he was encouraged by Smith’s approach to emphasize in-person recruitment efforts.
“You simply can’t do recruitment from behind a keyboard,” said Allen. “So having that type of in-person activity, I think, is a very good strategy.”
Ward 4 Council member Janeese Lewis-George said expectations are high for Chief Smith at a time when crime has been surging.
“D.C. residents across our city are tired and desperate for solutions,” said Lewis-George.
Council member Kenyan McDuffie said, “Homicides, robberies, carjackings and other violent crimes have reached levels that many people have never seen before.”
However, he said, he could recall the period when D.C.’s homicide rates were regularly making national headlines. He added, “I refuse, and I know others refuse to allow our city to return to a time when we were known as the ‘homicide capital of the United States.’”
