US attorney general reverses order, maintains DC police chief’s authority

ISTANBUL

US Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a new order Friday and restored Chief Pamela Smith's authority over Washington, DC's police department.

The move came after a federal court challenged Bondi’s decision to appoint Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chief Terry Cole as emergency police commissioner.

Cole will be considered Bondi’s “designee” under the new agreement, while Smith resumes oversight of daily operations under the leadership of Mayor Muriel Bowser.

In a parallel development, the US Justice Department issued a separate directive requiring Bowser to ensure police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and data requests.

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb had sued the Trump administration for the first Bondi order, accusing it of staging an "unlawful" federal takeover of Washington, DC’s police force in violation of the DC home rule legislation.

After a federal court hearing, Schwalb declared the outcome a success. “Our effort to avoid a hostile takeover of our police force is not going to happen. Chief Smith remains in control of the police department under the supervision of our mayor,” he said.

Trump took control of DC police and deployed 800 National Guard members to the nation’s capital on Monday, using Section 740 of the 1973 Home Rule Act as a legal pretext for federalizing the district's police.

The section allows a president to declare an emergency in the capital and assume control of the department for up to 30 days.