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Washington, DC’s police department chief Pamela Smith has said that the Trump administration’s order to install a federal official as its head is a “dangerous” threat to law and order in the US capital. In a court filing on Friday, Smith said that if the Trump administration’s order installing an “emergency police chief” is allowed to stand, it would upend the command structure of the force.
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The police chief’s statement came in a court filing as Washington seeks to block the federal takeover of its police department in court.
Washington sues Trump administration
Washington’s top legal official is seeking an emergency restraining order on the US Attorney General Pam Bondi’s order to remove the Metropolitan Police Chief. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues the police takeover is illegal and threatens to “wreak operational havoc.”
“The Bondi Order violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it is contrary to law, in excess of the Agency Defendants’ statutory authority, arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise not in accordance with the law,” the court filing said.
“Defendants’ actions also exceed their authority under the DC Home Rule Act and violate the separation of powers, Take Care Clause, and District Clause of the Constitution,” it said further.
Bondi appoints Emergency Police Commissioner
On Thursday, Attorney General Bondi designated Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, as “Emergency Police Commissioner,” effectively handing over all the powers and duties vested in the Metropolitan Police Chief to him. It also left the role of the current chief, Smith, who works for the mayor, unclear.
Earlier, on Thursday, Police Chief Smith had told MPD officers to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint.
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Washington takeover by Trump
Washington has been in chaos ever since Monday, when President Trump signed an executive order requiring the city’s mayor to give temporary control of the Metropolitan Police Department to the federal government.
On Thursday, the Pentagon stated that all 800 National Guard troops who were ordered to Washington to aid law enforcement personnel have been mobilised.
“As of today, all 800 Army and Air National Guardsmen are mobilised… as part of Joint Task Force DC, and they are now here in our capital,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told journalists.
According to the Pentagon, the National Guard will not have the power to arrest anyone, but can still carry weapons and detain people temporarily.
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