Overview
- Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the move and said an interim chief will be named soon as she begins the search for a successor.
- City leaders credited Smith with steep declines in violent crime and the lowest homicide level in eight years, highlighting the Real‑Time Crime Center and technology upgrades.
- Her tenure featured a federal intervention in August when President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency, deployed National Guard troops and agents, and briefly named a DEA official before the change was rolled back.
- Justice Department and House investigations into alleged manipulation of MPD crime data are ongoing, and at least one commander was placed on leave; Smith has denied directing anyone to alter statistics.
- Smith, the department’s first Black woman chief, said family considerations following a Thanksgiving visit to Pine Bluff guided her decision and said Bowser’s decision not to seek reelection did not influence her choice.