Washington police chief remains in command under White House deal

US capital challenges Trump's move to assume full control of city law enforcement

- 

WASHINGTON - The US Justice Department agreed on Aug 15 to scale back President Donald Trump's unprecedented attempted takeover of the District of Columbia's police force, in a deal negotiated with city officials at the urging of a federal judge.

Under the accord presented by the two sides to US District Judge Ana Reyes, Trump administration lawyers conceded that Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser's appointed police chief Pamela Smith would remain in command of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.

The precise role of Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole, who had been named by US Attorney-General Pam Bondi as the city's "emergency police commissioner" under Mr Trump's takeover bid, was still to be hashed out in negotiations.

A revised directive Ms Bondi issued late on Aug 15 referred to Mr Cole instead as her "designee" for purposes of directing the DC mayor "to provide such services of the Metropolitan Police Department as the Attorney-General deems necessary and appropriate".

Those services, according to Ms Bondi's two-page order, would include assisting federal immigration enforcement, contrary to DC "sanctuary city" policies constraining metropolitan police department action on immigration.

The scope of city-federal cooperation on immigration enforcement remained an open question in the court-ordered negotiations.