“There is no greater risk to public safety in a large, professional police force like MPD than to not know who is in command,” the lawsuit states.
Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing the Trump administration over its decision to install the head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration as the commander of the district’s police force.
According to The Hill, the 33-page lawsuit claims that DEA Administrator Terry Cole’s appointment as “emergency police commissioner” for the District of Columbia exceeds the emergency authorities outlined in the D.C. Home Rule Act.
Schwalb is now asking that a court void Cole’s appointment and issue an order ensuring that the Metropolitan Police Department remains under the command of Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Police Chief Pamela Smith.
“There is no greater risk to public safety in a large, professional police force like MPD than to not know who is in command,” the lawsuit states.
“By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District’s right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,” Schwalb said in a statement. “The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
In court filings, Schwalb’s office emphasized that no provision of the Home Rule Act lets the White House assume control over basic government functions in the District.
“Section 740 does not authorize this brazen usurpation of the District’s authority over its own government,” Friday’s lawsuit reads.
Schwalb acknowledged that the Home Rule Act lets the president intervene in local governance, but said that Trump’s influence has limits.
“Officials are elected and accountable to the residents of the District of Columbia to stand up for Home Rule in our law. Even the President of the United States, even the Attorney General of the United States, needs to comply with the law. And the Home Rule Charter and the Home Act is very clear with respect to when the President can request limited services of MPD, limited by time, limited by emergency circumstances, and limited for federal purposes,” said Schwalb. “In all cases, those services must be requested to the mayor to be provided by the chief of police, not a hostile takeover of our police.”
Sources
DC attorney general sues Trump over police takeover efforts
DC police chief to remain in control of MPD after DC Attorney General files lawsuit
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