LITTLE ROCK —According to KATV Channel 7, a Pine Bluff native with more than 25 years of law enforcement experience became chief of police of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., on Monday, becoming the first African-American woman named as permanent chief of the force.
A release from the Mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, said Pamela A. Smith was sworn in as the permanent chief for her accomplishments and experience.
The city said that her early years in foster care in Pine Bluff fueled her passion for helping and advocating for children. As a minister today, she uses her platform to counsel and mentor youth and young adults to impact their lives positively.
According to the Mayor, Smith’s more than two decades in law enforcement include serving as the chief of police for the United States Park Police in Washington, DC. During that time, she served in major city field offices across the United States, including San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.
When Smith retired from the US park service, she joined MPD in May 2022 as the department’s first chief equity officer, assigned to the executive office of the chief of police, according to Bowser’s release.
Bowser states in the release that Smith made a significant impact in her brief time as chief equity officer.
As MPD’s chief equity officer, Smith led the department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, ensuring those issues remained a priority.
She created an organizational channel for department-wide accountability by providing strategic advice to the chief of police, executive leadership, and senior management officials within the department.
In April 2023, she was promoted to Assistant chief of police at the Homeland Security Bureau, where she leads the operational and administrative functions of the special operations division, joint strategic & tactical analysis command center, and the Office of Intelligence.
Throughout Smith’s distinguished career, she has earned numerous awards and recognitions from several organizations. Those include the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Public Service Award, Northeast Region Equal Employment Opportunity Office Recognition of Outstanding Excellence, and the National Council of Negro Women Award for Working Together in Unity.
The release also states Smith is a member of several organizations, including the Washington Metro Chapter, National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executive, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Women in Federal Law Enforcement.
Smith has a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a graduate certificate in criminal justice education from the University of Virginia.
She is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.
The Pine Bluff Police Department posted on their Facebook to congratulate Smith.
Congratulations to Pine Bluff native, Chief Pamela A. Smith,” the post said. “Chief Smith has been sworn in as the new Chief of Police in our nation’s capital. Sending love and support your way from the men and women of the Pine Bluff Police Department!”
