About two years after Pamela Smith was approved to lead officers on a permanent basis, the D.C. police department is once again searching for a new chief.
Smith said Monday that she will step away from her position at the end of the year, calling it a personal decision she talked over with family.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about Smith’s resignation during a news conference Monday.
“I’ve been around long enough to know and to have lived through transitions,” Bowser said. “There are ways to approach this period of time and do it in a way that’s going to be most beneficial to D.C. residents. I’m going to marinate on it a little bit, and I’ll appoint the right, perfect person.”
Bowser will nominate the department’s next chief. The next permanent police chief will also need to earn the approval of the D.C. Council.
Smith’s resignation isn’t the only shake-up in D.C.’s leadership.
The mayor recently announced that she won’t seek reelection for a fourth term. With about a year left on the job, a reporter asked Bowser about the “challenges” associated with searching for a new chief as she prepares to exit office.
“I don’t call it a challenge,” Bowser said. “Because of the very deep bench we have and because of the great reputation of our department.”
Bowser said she will look internally for a new chief but would be open to nominating an external candidate.
“I’m obviously going to start first with the best police department in the nation,” Bowser said.
At the time Smith took over as chief in 2023, D.C. was at the peak of a crime wave.
Under her leadership, rates of crime have fallen. According to data provided by D.C. police, overall crime dropped 18% in 2025. Homicides are down 30% this year.
What should Bowser be looking for? Groups weigh in
The D.C. Police Union called on Bowser to collaborate with its members in the search for a new permanent chief.
“The ideal candidate must demonstrate proven leadership qualities that prioritize respect for the rank-and-file officers, foster trust within our communities, and commit to reforming broken policies lingering from the misguided ‘defund the police’ era, which resulted in laws and regulations that have undermined effective policing and officer morale,” the union wrote in a news release Monday morning.
Congressman Oye Owolewa, who represents the District in the U.S. House, said there’s an opportunity presented by the change in leadership. He also will not be seeking reelection as D.C.’s shadow representative in 2026.
“As we look ahead, it is my hope that this transition presents an opportunity to continue strengthening trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, while advancing policies rooted in accountability, transparency, and true public safety for all,” Owolewa wrote in a statement.
Looking ahead, Bethany Young, policy director with D.C. Justice Lab, believes the next chief has a chance to make D.C. a national model.
“It feels like it’s in the air, like there’s something really that we’re on the precipice of,” said Young, whose organization pushes for police reform in the District.
Young said she hopes they will listen to residents and be open to reforms, such as limiting traffic stops for minor violations and supporting alternatives to policing for behavioral health crises.
“They want to see more accountability,” Young told WTOP. “They want to see more oversight. They want to have more information about how policing is operating in D.C.”
She also believes the next chief should rely on data, not politics, and be bold enough to speak out when policing practices don’t align with community needs.
“There are certain things that a police chief … cannot control,” Young said. “However, you always have a voice.”
She said the organization didn’t see eye to eye with the chief when it came to what she called an increase in unnecessary police interactions, collaboration with federal agencies and a lack of transparency and accountability.
‘What I’d like to do is give them encouragement’
Smith’s departure comes at a time when D.C. police officers have worked alongside federal partners, such as patrols with National Guard members.
City leaders have insisted police do not work directly alongside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers; but some D.C. residents have reported instances where immigrants are arrested for minor infractions and arrested by ICE agents moments later.
Smith was asked about advice for the next chief and what guidance she has given to police officers in navigating law enforcement responsibilities alongside federal partners.
“They know probably better than I do what’s happening in community from day to day with our federal partners, because a lot of them are very intimately involved, especially our commanders,” Smith said. “At this point, I don’t need to give them any advice. I think what I’d like to do is give them encouragement.”
Smith, who has served in law enforcement for 28 years, said she will be available to support the department’s next leader.
“I will be available to the incoming or interim to provide him or her support with respect to the direction that the police department will continue,” Smith said.
For the next chief, Smith said three things are critical: communication, collaboration with partners and being involved with the community.
“My phone rings all time of day, all time of night, and you have to answer the call, you have to answer the phone, you have to show up,” Smith said.
A passion for D.C. residents is essential, she said.
“You may have to sit in somebody’s basement to have a conversation about something,” Smith said. “You have to dress down sometimes. Sometimes I’m in the community, and people don’t know I’m there. It’s just to protect the anonymity of the folks who really trust the Metropolitan Police Department, but sometimes are afraid to share the information that’s necessary.”
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