Veteran police officer Jeffery Carroll has been named interim chief of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, stepping into a role amid federal scrutiny, a controversial immigration enforcement partnership, and a recent shooting of National Guard troops.
Carroll’s Background and New Role
Carroll joined the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in 2002 and rose through the ranks to become the executive assistant chief of specialized operations in 2023, a position he was appointed to by outgoing chief Pamela Smith. In that capacity, he manages the day-to-day operations of the department. The mayor, Muriel Bowser, announced on Wednesday that Carroll will assume the interim chief position after the department’s leader stepped down earlier this month.
The appointment comes as a federal law-enforcement surge is underway in the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump launched the operation in August, asserting that it was intended to address crime rates that had been surging for years but had begun to decline. Carroll’s leadership will therefore intersect with both local and national priorities.
Federal Law-Enforcement Surge and Crime Data Concerns
Carroll’s takeover occurs at a tumultuous time. Members of Congress and the U.S. attorney’s office have questioned how the MPD keeps its crime statistics. City council members and residents have also raised concerns about the department’s role in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, which have rounded up hundreds of people in addition to criminal arrests.
Carroll acknowledged that critical interim reports were circulating. He said the department would focus on several steps to address the issues, including improved training for officers in classifying crimes and the creation of an audit team that would examine reports to ensure they are properly classified. “Right now I just want to kind of look at the operation,” he said. “We’ll continue to work with our federal law-enforcement partners. We’ll continue to not be directly involved with immigration, as we have in the past.”
Mayor Bowser added that the reports she’d seen on crime data “leave a lot to be desired in terms of evidence and context” and she planned to call in the District inspector general to examine the issue.
The Shooting of National Guard Troops
Carroll’s profile has risen recently as he joined Mayor Bowser at press conferences in connection with the shooting last month of two National Guard troops as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House. Carroll provided details of the shooting during the initial press conference, including that the attack had been carried out by a lone gunman.
The incident highlighted the heightened security environment around the capital and underscored the MPD’s collaboration with federal partners. Carroll’s presence at the press conferences signals a continuity of that partnership, even as he promises to review policies that might reverse those established by former chief Pamela Smith.
Leadership Transition and Policy Focus
Carroll said he was “deeply honored and sincerely grateful for the trust” being placed in him. He also indicated that he would take a little time before implementing actions that might reverse policies Smith put in place, including the department’s work in the immigration realm. He emphasized that the MPD would continue to work with federal law-enforcement partners while maintaining a stance of not being directly involved with immigration enforcement, as it has been in the past.
Smith, appointed in 2023, had been brought in to stabilize a department facing staffing shortages and a city shaken by post-coronavirus pandemic crime. Her tenure unfolded amid a fierce battle over authority, as Trump asserted federal control over the MPD and deployed National Guard troops and federal agents alongside the city’s officers.
The 2023 spike in violence prompted congressional hearings and led city leaders to expand police authority, including authorizing drug-free zones in areas with persistent crime. Lawmakers also rewrote parts of the city’s criminal code in an effort to stem the rise in violent offenses.
Early the next year, the city began to see improvement. Overall, crime fell by about 17% in the first 10 weeks of 2024, a drop Smith attributed to the new law and to targeted deployments in neighborhoods experiencing repeated trouble. She also imposed temporary youth curfew zones in several parts of the district.
Mayor Bowser’s Oversight and Future Plans
The change in police leadership comes as Mayor Bowser, a Democrat, has announced that she won’t seek reelection next year. Her decision adds another layer of transition to the city’s political landscape, as the MPD navigates both internal reforms and external scrutiny.
Carroll’s interim appointment signals an intention to stabilize the department while addressing the concerns raised by federal and local stakeholders. His focus on training, audit, and a clear stance on immigration enforcement aims to rebuild trust and ensure that the MPD operates with transparency and accountability.
Key Takeaways
- Jeffery Carroll, a career MPD officer since 2002, is the new interim chief.
- The appointment follows a federal law-enforcement surge launched by President Trump in August.
- Carroll plans to improve crime-classification training and establish an audit team.
- The MPD’s role in immigration enforcement and crime-data accuracy remains under scrutiny.
- Mayor Bowser will not seek reelection, adding further transition to city leadership.
The appointment of Jeffery Carroll marks a pivotal moment for Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department as it seeks to balance local policing priorities with federal expectations amid ongoing challenges and reforms.
