Attorney General Pam Bondi has named U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) director Terrance “Terry” Cole as the new “emergency police commissioner” in the nation’s capital.
Newsweek reached out to Bondi’s office via online form Thursday night for comment.
Why It Matters
In a news conference this week, President Donald Trump announced the decision to federalize Washington, D.C., citing crime and violence.
Bondi’s directive formed part of Trump’s broader declaration of a public safety emergency in D.C. under the Home Rule Act and was accompanied by a surge of federal agents and National Guard troops. The action raised immediate questions about local control of the Metropolitan Police Department and implementation of the 30-day federal takeover.
What To Know
The federal response has included roughly 800 activated National Guard troops assigned to monument security, community safety and beautification tasks, and visible federal agents from agencies including the DEA and FBI deployed to areas like Union Station.
The appointment of Cole now places a federal official with a national law enforcement portfolio in control of one of the nation’s largest municipal police departments.
Bondi said that Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police,” according to the Associated Press (AP). D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before sending out any orders, the U.S. attorney general added. It is unclear how Police Chief Pamela Smith folds into this new plan, reports the news outlet.
Cole has more than 31 years in public service, including time as a DEA special agent and rising through the ranks. Cole has been on assignment in New York, D.C., Colombia, Afghanistan and the Middle East, according to his bio.
The new emergency police commissioner graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He oversaw the DEA’s enforcement, intelligence, diversion control and public outreach missions, his bio also highlights.
What People Are Saying
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser posted to X on Monday: “DC is unique. While we pay taxes and uphold the responsibilities of citizenship, we’re not a state. We don’t control the DC National Guard and we don’t have senators or full autonomy. That’s why you’ve heard me and many other Washingtonians advocate for DC statehood.”
Bowser continued: “Here’s where we stand after today’s announcement: we will follow the law, work with federal officials, and continue the work we do every single day to keep DC safe, beautiful, and the best city in the world.”
Trump, in part, on Truth Social Wednesday: “Washington, D.C., has one of the Highest Rates of Crime in the World, more than many of the most violent Third World Countries. The City’s Homicide Rate is higher than places notorious for their violence, such as Mexico City, Bogota, Islamabad, and Addis Ababa — Almost ten times higher than Fallujah, Iraq. If D.C. were a State, it would have the highest Homicide Rate of any State in America. The Violent Crime Rate in D.C. has worsened, and the Murder Rate has essentially DOUBLED in just over a decade — But these are only the ‘official’ statistics released by corrupt City Officials. The REAL numbers are many times worse.”
Below is the president’s full post:
The AP contributed reporting to this article.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
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