• Pam Bondi names Terry Cole as D.C.'s emergency police commissioner amidst rising crime concerns.
• The appointment raises legal questions over federal control of local policing.
• D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser criticizes the move as unlawful and unnecessary.
• Criticism includes claims that crime rates in D.C. are actually declining.
• Washington D.C. is suing to block the federal takeover of its police force.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has appointed Terrance "Terry" Cole, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as the new "emergency police commissioner" for D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). This decision follows President Donald Trump's announcement of a federal initiative to address rising crime, which he described as an "emergency" in the capital. The move is supported by a surge of federal agents and National Guard troops tasked with enhancing security measures in the city, according to Newsweek and Reuters.

The directive confers Cole with "all of the powers and duties" of the local police chief, granting him significant control over the MPD's operations. Local officials, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, have expressed strong opposition, arguing that the federal order lacks legal authority, effectively making it "unlawful." Bowser pointed out that the Home Rule Act does not permit such a transfer of police authority to a federal official, as highlighted in comments released by the D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb on social media, according to Reuters and BBC.

As part of the federal crackdown, approximately 800 National Guard members and numerous federal law enforcement officers have been deployed to D.C. However, statistics indicate that crime rates have fallen over the past few years, contradicting Trump's claims of an escalating crime crisis in the district. Analysis shows that violent crime in D.C. has continued to decline, reaching its lowest levels in more than three decades, according to Newsweek and BBC.

In response to the federal takeover, Washington D.C. is pursuing legal action to block the implementation of Bondi's order, seeking to maintain local control over its police force. This legal challenge, along with widespread public criticism, suggests a potential deepening of the conflict between local officials and federal authorities, as reported by BBC and Reuters.