{"id":1975238,"date":"2023-07-17T14:46:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T18:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-city-soars\/"},"modified":"2023-07-17T14:50:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T18:50:18","slug":"dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-city-soars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-city-soars\/","title":{"rendered":"Pamela Smith chosen as DC police chief amidst rising crime."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-city-soars%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1975238&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Pamela Smith \u200bBecomes Washington&#8217;s First Black\u2064 Female Police Chief<\/h2>\n<p>Pamela Smith \u2064has been\u2064 appointed as Washington&#8217;s\u200c next\u2062 police\u2062 chief, making\u2062 history\u2062 as \u200cthe \u2062first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-lauds-state-rep-shirley-weber-established-africana-studies-professor-as-newsoms-secretary-of-state-pick\/\" title=\"Harris Lauds State Rep. Shirley Weber, Established Africana Studies Professor, As Newsom\u2019s Secretary Of State Pick\">black woman<\/a>\u2062 to \u200dhold this \u2063position in the city. With over 25 years \u2064of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blm-leader-assures-l-a-county-d-a-gascon-we-have-your-back\/\" title=\"BLM Leader Assures L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n: \u2018We Have Your Back\u2019\">law enforcement experience<\/a>, \u200dSmith is \u200dwell-prepared to take on\u200d the top \u2064role\u200b in \u200dthe\u2063 Metropolitan\u2063 Police\u200d Department.<\/p>\n<p>The department faces \u2064the \u2064challenge of combating crime in the district, as legislative \u2062strategies are implemented\u200d to reduce\u200d overall crime \u200crates.<\/p>\n<h3>A Trailblazing Career<\/h3>\n<p>Prior to \u2062becoming the \u200dpolice\u2062 chief \u2063of Washington, \u2063Smith served as the chief\u2064 of\u200b police for the United\u2062 States Park Police. She\u2064 has \u2062held various positions\u2062 in\u2064 law enforcement, including training, leading \u2064patrol teams, and\u200c handling disciplinary\u200c matters, in \u2064cities such \u200bas San Francisco, Washington,\u200c and New York.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200bMay 2022,\u200b Smith joined\u200c the Washington \u200dpolice as the department&#8217;s first\u200b chief\u2062 equity officer, where\u2062 she quickly made\u2064 a significant impact.<\/p>\n<p>Washington Mayor \u2063Muriel Bowser \u2063praised \u200bSmith as\u200c a respected \u200bleader\u2063 with a strong commitment\u200c to enhancing \u200cthe \u200dsafety\u2062 of the\u2063 city. Bowser \u2063expressed confidence \u2064in \u200bSmith&#8217;s \u200bknowledge of Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan \u2063Police Department, and\u200d the\u200b network of \u2062law enforcement \u200cand public\u200c safety \u2064teams.<\/p>\n<p>Smith&#8217;s appointment\u2062 is the result \u200dof a \u2062nationwide\u2064 search conducted by \u200cBowser after \u200cthe\u200c retirement \u2063of former Police Chief Robert \u200dContee. She \u200cwill be replacing\u2063 interim \u2063chief Ashan\u2062 Benedict.<\/p>\n<p>At a \u2064news\u2063 conference, Smith\u200d expressed \u200bher\u2062 belief in bringing a \u200cfresh\u2064 perspective,\u2062 a \u2064different kind of\u2063 energy,\u200d and a higher level\u2063 of passion to her new role.\u200d She \u200bshared her \u2063personal \u2062journey, stating \u2063that as a child, she\u2062 had \u2062no\u200d hopes or dreams,\u2063 but now\u2064 she\u2064 firmly believes \u2064that\u2064 all \u200bthings \u200bare\u200b possible.<\/p>\n<p>Smith joins \u2064the ranks of two \u200bother female chiefs in Washington&#8217;s history.\u200b Cathy \u2062L. Lanier served as\u200d the first\u2063 permanent female chief \u2062from \u200cJanuary 2007 \u2063to \u200bSeptember 2016, and \u200dSonya Proctor served as \u2063an\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/los-angeles-school-district-cuts-one-third-of-school-officers-police-chief-warns-of-unintended-consequences\/\" title=\"Los Angeles School District Cuts One-Third Of School Officers, Police Chief Warns Of \u2018Unintended Consequences\u2019\">interim chief<\/a>\u200c for\u200b five months in 1997.<\/p>\n<h3>Addressing \u2064Rising \u2064Crime Rates<\/h3>\n<p>As the new police chief, Smith\u2062 faces the significant challenge\u200c of addressing the \u2063increasing\u200b crime\u2062 rates \u200cin\u200b the city. \u200bThe Council of\u200c the \u2064District of\u2062 Columbia has\u2064 been \u2063working to \u200cupdate public \u2062safety laws\u2064 that have remained largely\u200c unchanged\u200b since 1901.<\/p>\n<p>Recent statistics reveal alarming \u200ctrends, with\u200c Washington recording over 100 homicides\u2063 in\u2064 the\u200d first six\u200d months of 2023,\u200d the earliest \u2062the\u200d district has reached this mark in \u2063two decades.\u2063 Additionally, \u2063a\u200b report showed\u200d that \u200d67% of\u2064 people arrested by \u200cpolice\u2062 officers in 2022 \u200cwere not\u2064 prosecuted\u200c by the U.S. attorney for Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this, former \u200cPolice \u2063Chief \u200cContee \u200cemphasized that \u2063his\u2064 officers\u2064 were not\u2063 to \u2063blame for\u200b the \u2064lack \u200dof prosecutions.<\/p>\n<p>In response to \u200dthe rising\u200d crime\u200c rates, the\u2064 Council\u2062 of the District\u2064 of\u2062 Columbia passed an emergency \u2063public safety\u200d bill\u200b on \u2063July 11. This\u200d bill\u2062 introduces new offenses for\u2062 firing\u2062 a gun in \u2062public and \u2064facilitates \u200cthe extradition of \u2062individuals for \u2063misdemeanors. \u200dIt\u2062 also\u200c allows judges to \u2062hold\u200d individuals with a history \u2063of violent crimes in \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/like-the-wild-west-chicago-prosecutor-refuses-to-charge-releases-suspects-in-gang-related-gunfight\/\" title=\"\u2018Like The Wild West\u2019: Chicago Prosecutor Refuses To Charge, Releases Suspects In Gang-Related Gunfight\">jail pending trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These\u2064 measures come after Congress \u200dand President Joe Biden\u200c overturned \u2062a law in \u2064the \u200cdistrict\u2063 that\u2062 would have reduced penalties for\u200b various crimes, including \u2063carjackings and\u2064 homicide.<\/p>\n<p>However,\u200d Biden \u200bsupported the \u200ccity&#8217;s police reform \u200dcode,\u2064 which \u2063prohibits the use\u200d of neck \u200brestraints,\u2062 increases \u200daccess \u2062to \u2063body camera \u2062footage, \u200cand \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-city-soars\/\" title=\"Pamela Smith chosen as DC police chief amidst rising crime.\">revises officer\u200c discipline procedures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>A \u2062Commitment to\u2062 Community Safety<\/h3>\n<p>Smith \u200dacknowledges \u2062the pressing \u200bneed\u200b to address\u2064 violent crime in the district and emphasizes the \u2062importance of \u2064community engagement. \u200bShe \u200bis determined\u2063 to ensure that\u2064 the police \u200cfulfill \u200dtheir duties\u200d in\u2064 a\u200b constitutional, safe,\u200d and \u200crespectful\u200b manner.<\/p>\n<p>Smith \u200dconcludes,\u200d &#8220;Make\u200c no \u2062mistake about \u2063it \u2014\u200d I will \u2063be\u200d laser-focused to ensure \u2064that\u200d we do\u200c everything\u2064 we can in \u200cthis\u2063 space.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For\u200d more information,\u200d <a \u2063href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\">click \u2064here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pamela Smith, with 25+ years of law enforcement experience, will become Washington&#8217;s first black female police chief. She assumes leadership of the Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for managing the city&#8217;s challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1975239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1975238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1975238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1975239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1975238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1975238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1975238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}