By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Bowser announced Dec. 17 the appointment of Jeffery Carroll as interim police chief in the District.
According to a news release from Bowser’s office, Carroll currently serves as Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) executive assistant chief of specialized operations, a position to which he was appointed by Smith in November 2023.
“I know Chief Carroll is the right person to build on the momentum of the past two years so that we can continue driving down crime across the city,” said Mayor Bowser, in the press release. “He has led through some of our city’s most significant public safety challenges of the past decade, he is familiar to D.C. residents and well respected and trusted by members of the Metropolitan Police Department as well as our federal and regional public safety partners.”
On Dec. 8 Bowser announced that MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith would be stepping down. She released a statement affirming Smith’s efforts and success in reducing the city’s homicide rate.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Smith, who joined MPD in 2022 as its chief equity officer, counts as the first African-American woman to serve as police chief – a role in which she served in an acting capacity in July 2023 before being unanimously confirmed by the D.C. Council on Nov. 7, 2023.
“When Chief Smith stepped up to lead the Metropolitan Police Department, we had no time to waste,” Bowser said. “She came in at a very challenging time for our community, when there was significant urgency to reverse the crime trends our city was facing post pandemic.”
“Chief Smith dramatically drove down violent crime, drove down the homicide rate to its lowest levels in eight years, and helped us restore a sense of safety and accountability in our neighborhoods. We are grateful for her service to Washington, D.C.,” Bowser concluded, adding that Smith got “all of this done while also navigating unprecedented challenges and attacks on our city’s autonomy.”
Days ago, when Smith first announced her resignation, the sentiments she expressed suggested that she had voluntarily decided to step down from the police force.
“I am deeply humbled, grateful and deeply appreciative of my time with the District of Columbia,” she said. “Serving as Chief of Police has been the greatest honor of my career, and 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.”
However, after the House Oversight Committee alleged that Smith manipulated crime data to maintain the appearance of low crime in the nation’s capital, Smith was compelled to set the record straight.
Smith abandoned her earlier conciliatory tone on Friday, Dec. 19, in a press conference that has since gone viral. She addressed colleagues and delivered a pointed message to those who she identified as her “haters,” vehemently denying allegations that she manipulated crime data.
“Never would I compromise my integrity, never would I compromise 28 years in law enforcement for a few folks who couldn’t stand to be held accountable,” Smith said during her 13-minute speech. “And if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it again.”
Smith concluded her remarks with references to her faith and belief in a higher power.
“I’m going to the Bible when I say to my haters, F you,” she said, noting that the “F” stands for another powerful “F-word.”
“I forgive you,” she said.
“The same folks who said in that report that they changed their numbers– and I did not, the report is very clear, I did not direct anyone– you should investigate those folks,” said Smith, before completing her final walk out.
