Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order Thursday evening appointing a new Emergency Police Commissioner with authority over Metro Police Chief Pamela Smith, granting Washington, D.C., officers greater leeway in dealing with suspected illegal immigrants.
The order, titled Restoring Safety and Security to the District of Columbia, designates Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as Emergency Police Commissioner, effective immediately. Chief Smith will be relieved of her authority for the duration of President Trump’s executive order, “Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia.”
“Effective immediately, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrence Cole shall serve as MPD’s Emergency Police Commissioner for the duration of the emergency declared by the President. Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police,” Bondi states in her order. “Commissioner Cole shall have the authority to issue any general orders, executive orders, or other written directives that apply to Members of the MPD. Existing MPD leadership, including the current Chief of Police, members of the Executive Office of the Chief of Police, Bureau Heads/Executive Staff, and Commanders must receive approval from Commissioner Cole before issuing any further directives to the MPD.”
Elsewhere, Bondi’s order states, “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. These dangers are multiplied by the District’s sanctuary city policies, which actively shield criminal aliens from the consequences required by federal law.”
“Bondi also explicitly rescinded three orders issued by the Metro police within the past two years related to illegal immigration – the most recent one being an executive order issued by Smith earlier on Thursday limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities,” Fox News noted. “To the extent that provisions in this Order conflict with any existing MPD directives, those directives are hereby rescinded,” Bondi wrote.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called Bondi’s order “unlawful,” going on to add, “Therefore, members of MPD must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor,” ABC News reported.