Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been named Washington DC's ‘emergency’ police chief. Attorney General Pam Bondi's announcement on Thursday came amid a driven effort to execute President Donald Trump's plans of taking over the Washington Police Department.
Bondi announced that Cole was being given the powers of the police chief, meaning the Metropolitan Police Department must have Cole's approval before they can issue any orders.
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Here's five things to know about Washington's ‘emergency’ police chief.
Terry Cole: 5 facts about DC's ‘emergency’ police chief
- Terry Cole has spent 31 years in law enforcement, 22 of which have been with the DEA
- He had range of domestic and international assignments, including Oklahoma, New York, Washington, D.C., Colombia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East
- Cole served as Virginia's Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security in Governor Youngkin’s cabinet from 2023 to 2025, at which time he was named the DEA administrator
{{/usCountry}}- Cole served as Virginia's Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security in Governor Youngkin’s cabinet from 2023 to 2025, at which time he was named the DEA administrator
{{/usCountry}}- Cole also served as a Naval Academy Blue and Gold Officer and was a certified Police Officer in the State of New York
- Cole graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a BA in Criminal Justice and has certificates in Leadership from the University of Virginia and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business. He also pursued continuing education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan Executive School for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Bondi's announcement did not make it clear what the future held for Pamela Smith, DC's current police chief, who answers to the mayor. Ahead of Bondi's announcement, Smith had instructed Washington police to share information with immigration agencies concerning people not in custody, like someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. The Justice Department, however, said that Bondi disagreed with the top cop's directive, as it allowed for continued enforcement of ‘sanctuary policies’.
(With AP inputs)