The Washington Parkway is getting a new top cop! And let’s just say, she’s not from around here. The U.S. Park Police has announced the appointment of Pamela Smith as its new chief, and boy oh boy, do they need her. The department has been keeping its number of officers a secret for years, but they did let slip that Smith will be in charge of a workforce of 560 people across three cities. So, we may never know how many officers they actually have, but at least they have a new boss who seems legit.

But not everyone is happy with this hire. Kenneth Spencer, chair of the Park Police officers’ union, claims he knows nothing about Smith and hasn’t heard from her. Ouch, that’s gotta sting. It’s no secret that the police department has had some communication issues lately, so one would hope the new chief can fix things up. Plus, there’s that pesky issue of a cop shooting a teenager last month, which is now under investigation. Yikes.

Interestingly, this is not the first time the Park Police has had a run-in with controversial shootings. In 2017, they shot an unarmed motorist, Bijan Ghaisar, and there was no body-camera footage to boot. Lucky for them, the department’s new chief, Smith, is all about cameras. She wasted no time and equipped her officers with body cameras as soon as she took over in 2021. We can all sleep a little easier knowing this, right?

Smith says she has worked with the Park Police during her time in the Secret Service, and as we all know, you never forget your first years in law enforcement. She also promised to prioritize people, mission, transparency, and integrity. Good luck with that last one, chief! The Park Police has a history of keeping their officers’ names under wraps when it comes to shootings. They kept the identity of the officer who shot and killed the teenager last month a secret, and they were just as secretive about the Ghaisar case. The new chief certainly has her work cut out for her.

So, there you have it. Pamela Smith is the new chief of the Park Police, and we can only hope she brings good things to the Washington Parkway. Alice Crites also contributed to this article, but who cares about her? It’s all about the new sheriff in town!

Serious News: washingtonpost