WASHINGTON — Ongoing violence in the District will no doubt be a top priority for the new chief of police for the Metropolitan Police Department. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the nomination of Pamela A. Smith as the new chief Monday. If approved by DC Council, she would be the first Black woman to be elevated to the position. She spoke with us about the historic nomination, and her plans for the department.
"It's very humbling," Smith told WUSA9 of making history in the department. "Although it's not lost on me, what I hope is that I'm not the last. I think this is an opportunity for young men and young women to really see how they can aspire to be anything that they choose to be."
That aspirational attitude helped Smith in her journey to become police chief. She spoke of her humble beginnings, growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
"Humble beginnings is certainly how it was for me in Pine Bluff, Arkansas [with] lots of challenges and turmoil. But what I did was use those moments of adversity and turned them into something positive. I utilized some of the resources like the summer youth employment program that was available to me ... meeting a pastor and his wife who thought enough of the little old girl from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to groom me into the young woman I am today."
As carjackings, gun violence and violent crimes as a whole are on the rise from this time last year in D.C. — especially among young people — we asked Smith about her strategy moving forward.
"I think the most important thing for me is to seriously leverage the professionals we have here at the Metropolitan Police Department. I think they are doing a fantastic job coming up with different strategies and ideas in order to combat crime," Smith said.
But Smith notes working with the department is only one aspect of the strategy.
"What we need to do is really engage our community. Engage the members of our community, both residents and businesses. What I want to do is to hear from them. I want to hear their voices, I want to understand what their concerns are. I'm sure their concerns are the same as mine because I am a resident of Ward 8, and it troubles me as well," Smith said.
Smith spoke of an all-government approach to addressing rising crime rates.
"We have some amazing relationships with our federal, local and state partners and we are going to continue to build upon those relationships to support us in this space of crimefighting," Smith said.
So what about stiffer consequences for young people involved in crime, or putting a curfew in place? Smith said she was more focused on preventative methods than stiffer penalties.
"We want to look at preventative methods because we don't want all of our young people to end up in the juvenile justice system," Smith said. When I look at what we're doing in the Metropolitan Police Department — with community engagement, with our youth and family bureau — there are moments for us to really connect with our young people."
She said it does not stop with the youth. She wants to work with parents as well.
"We recognize sometimes that young people can be challenging, but I know that here in the District of Columbia the mayor's office offers opportunities and resources for parents who may be having challenges with their young people. We want to hear from them. We want to partner with you to help your child become an effective person in society," Smith said.