The U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement with officials in Washington, D.C. on Friday, August 15, to voluntarily abandon the appointment of an Emergency Commissioner to temporarily take over the leadership of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of Washington, D.C. This agreement was reached after the District of Columbia Attorney General filed a lawsuit and at the urging of the presiding judge in the case.
The agreement was reached on Friday afternoon, following an earlier lawsuit filed by the D.C. Attorney General, Brian Schwalb, challenging the Trump administration’s takeover of the capital police department.
Prior to this, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive on Thursday evening appointing Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as the “Emergency Commissioner” of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. to fully take over policing activities in the capital as President Trump declared a state of public safety emergency.
However, under the urging of District Judge Ana Reyes, the two sides reached an agreement on Friday, agreeing that the Metropolitan Police Department will continue to be led by Pamela Smith, appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
According to the agreement, Cole must now coordinate with Mayor Bowser to direct the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., while Bowser still must comply with Cole’s requests, as the Trump administration retains control over the capital’s police department.
Former Democratic President-appointed District Judge Ana Reyes had previously stated that the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act does not allow Trump to extensively take over the capital police department, but she acknowledged that the powers granted to him by the law may be greater than the city would hope for.
She said, “My understanding of the law is that the president can demand, the mayor must provide, but the president cannot control.”
On Friday, Reyes stated that if the federal government does not change its approach, she is prepared to declare Cole’s appointment as the head of the capital’s Emergency Police Department illegal. After nearly two hours of private negotiations, the Department of Justice made concessions without judicial intervention.