WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as Washington’s “emergency police commissioner” Thursday night, saying she is granting him the powers of the police chief amid the federal takeover.
Bondi said in her directive that DEA boss Terry Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police.” The Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders, Bondi said.
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith, meanwhile, stepped up cooperation between her officers and federal immigration officials as President Donald Trump’s law enforcement takeover of the nation’s capital took root Thursday. National Guard troops watched over some of the world’s most renowned landmarks and Humvees took up position in front of the busy main train station.
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Metropolitan Police Department officers may now share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody — such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. MPD officers may also provide “transportation for federal immigration employees and detained subject,” the order states.
