{"id":1975286,"date":"2023-07-17T15:20:05","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T19:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-district-soars\/"},"modified":"2023-07-17T15:24:24","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T19:24:24","slug":"dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-district-soars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-district-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-district-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=1975286&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 \u200dSmith\u200b Becomes \u200cWashington&#8217;s\u2063 First Black Female\u2064 Police Chief<\/h2>\n<p>Pamela \u2063Smith has been \u2062appointed\u200c as Washington&#8217;s\u2063 next\u200c police \u200bchief, making history as the \u2064first\u200c black woman \u200cto \u2064hold this role\u200c in\u2064 the district. \u200dWith over\u200b 25 \u2064years of <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>, \u200cSmith is\u2064 well-equipped to\u2064 take on \u2063the \u2064top position\u2062 in\u200d the\u2062 Metropolitan Police Department.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b department\u2062 faces the\u200d challenging task of combating \u200ccrime\u200d in \u200bthe\u200d district, amidst\u200c ongoing\u200c efforts \u200cto reduce \u200coverall crime rates through \u2064legislative tactics.<\/p>\n<h3>A \u2064Trailblazing\u200b Career<\/h3>\n<p>Prior \u2064to her appointment as Washington police chief, Smith served\u200c as\u200c the \u200cchief \u200bof police \u200dfor \u2062the United\u200c States \u2064Park Police. \u200cShe \u200dhas held various positions in law \u200benforcement, including\u2064 training,\u200d leading patrol teams, and handling\u2063 disciplinary\u200d matters, in \u200bcities such as San\u2062 Francisco,\u200c Washington, \u2064and New York.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200cMay 2022, Smith \u200cjoined\u2064 the\u2062 Washington \u2062police as \u2062the department&#8217;s first \u200bchief \u200dequity officer, where\u2062 she\u2062 quickly made\u200c a significant \u200cimpact. Washington\u2062 Mayor\u200b Muriel\u200c Bowser praised\u200c Smith as \u2062a respected \u2064leader with\u200b a \u2063strong commitment to\u2064 enhancing the \u200csafety of \u200bthe district.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;She \u2062knows\u2062 Washington, D.C., she knows \u2063MPD, \u2063she knows policing,\u200c and she \u2064understands very\u2064 well\u2063 the\u2062 network\u2062 of law enforcement and public safety \u2064teams that work\u200c to\u2063 keep\u2064 Washington, D.C., safe. And\u200b as we know, \u2062she is resilient and ready for this\u200b role,&#8221; Bowser\u200d stated at \u200ca\u2064 news\u2063 conference.<\/p>\n<p>Smith&#8217;s\u2062 appointment is the result of a nationwide search \u2062conducted\u2064 by Mayor Bowser after the retirement\u2063 of \u2062former \u2064Police\u2062 Chief\u2063 Robert Contee. She\u2063 will be\u2064 replacing interim chief \u200dAshan Benedict.<\/p>\n<p>Smith \u200dexpressed her enthusiasm \u200dfor \u200dthe \u2063role, stating, \u200c&#8221;I believe \u200dthat \u2062all things\u200c are\u200b possible.&#8221;\u200b She \u2063emphasized\u2064 bringing a fresh perspective,\u2063 a\u200c different kind \u200cof energy, and a heightened \u2064level of \u2063passion\u200b to her \u200dnew position.<\/p>\n<h3>Addressing Rising\u2062 Crime Rates<\/h3>\n<p>As\u2062 the new police\u2064 chief, \u200bSmith \u2063faces the \u2062weighty responsibility of\u2062 addressing\u200b the district&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-newsom-claims-significant-decline-in-crime-in-calif\/\" title=\"Gov. Newsom claims \u2018significant decline in crime\u2019 in Calif.\">increasing crime rates<\/a>.\u2063 The Council \u2064of \u2062the \u2063District \u200cof Columbia\u2062 has\u2062 been working to\u2063 update public safety laws \u2064that\u2064 have remained\u200c largely\u2064 unchanged\u200d since 1901.<\/p>\n<p>Recent statistics reveal\u200c the urgency\u2062 of \u200cthe \u200csituation. By\u200b June 7, Washington had \u2063already\u2063 recorded over 100 homicides\u2062 in the \u2064first\u2063 six months\u2062 of 2023,\u200c marking\u2062 the earliest\u2063 occurrence\u2064 in \u200btwo\u200c decades. \u200cAdditionally, a\u2064 report showed that\u200d 67% of people \u2062arrested\u200b by\u200b police \u200bofficers\u200c in\u2063 2022 were not \u200bprosecuted \u2062by the U.S.\u2064 attorney for Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Efforts to combat \u200ccrime\u2063 have \u200dled\u2063 to the\u200b passing\u2064 of\u2064 an\u2062 emergency\u200c public safety \u200cbill by the \u2064Council of\u200d the District of \u2062Columbia. This bill introduces \u200bnew \u2064offenses for firing a\u200b gun \u2064in\u2064 public and\u200d facilitates the \u200bextradition\u200c of\u200b individuals\u200d for\u2063 misdemeanors. Notably, it also enables\u2064 judges to\u2062 hold individuals with a \u200bhistory\u2064 of violent\u2062 crimes in\u2064 jail pending \u200ctrial.<\/p>\n<p>While \u200bthe district&#8217;s\u200c law that\u200c would have reduced\u2062 penalties for\u2063 certain crimes was overturned by \u2062Congress and President Joe Biden, \u200cthe police reform\u2064 code, which\u2063 prohibits the use of neck restraints, \u2063increases access\u200b to body camera\u2064 footage,\u2063 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-selects-pamela-smith-as-police-chief-as-crime-in-district-soars\/\" title=\"Pamela Smith chosen as DC police chief amidst rising crime.\">revises\u2062 officer discipline procedures<\/a>, \u200dremains in\u2062 effect.<\/p>\n<h3>A Commitment \u200dto Community Safety<\/h3>\n<p>Smith acknowledges the\u2062 pressing\u2063 need\u200c to address violent \u2063crime \u2062in\u200c the district and\u200c is dedicated to\u200d making\u2064 Washington, D.C., safer. \u200bShe emphasizes\u2064 the importance \u2064of \u200ccommunity engagement and\u2064 ensuring\u2063 that \u200cthe police\u2064 uphold\u2063 constitutional\u200b rights \u200cwhile \u200bmaintaining safety \u2062and \u2062respect.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As \u200ba law enforcement \u200bofficer and \u2062a member of\u2064 this community, \u200bI\u2063 am \u200dalso \u200btroubled by\u200c the \u200ccrime that is\u2064 plaguing our community, \u2064which is why it \u2062is important \u200cfor\u2062 me to be engaged and \u2063wanting to \u2063make \u200dthe District of Columbia \u200csafer,&#8221; \u200bSmith \u200bstated.<\/p>\n<p>She concludes by\u2062 affirming her unwavering focus \u2062on \u200ctackling crime\u200b and doing everything possible \u2063to\u200d ensure\u2063 the safety and well-being \u200cof the \u2063district&#8217;s \u2062residents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click \u200dhere \u2063to\u200d read \u2062more\u200b from The\u2063 Washington\u200d Examiner.<\/strong><\/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 takes charge of the Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for managing the city&#8217;s challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1975287,"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-1975286","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\/1975286","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=1975286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1975287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1975286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1975286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1975286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}