Pam Bondi, DC and DEA
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Trump administration agrees to keep DC police chief in place
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DEA head Terry Cole outlined the “unified effort" to reduce crime in Washington, D.C. after Trump declared a federal takeover of local police.
Chief Pamela Smith pushed back Friday morning on Attorney General Pam Bondi’s move to install the Drug Enforcement Administration chief at the head of the district’s police, warning that the directive could upend the department’s operations.
He’s spent more than 31 years as a law enforcement officer, including 22 at the DEA. At the agency, he worked in Oklahoma, New York and Washington. He spent time overseas in Colombia, Afghanistan and the Middle East. The agency said he fought drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Trump's federal takeover of D.C. police sparks political controversy as Democrats call it overreach while White House defends crime reduction efforts.