On the latest audio edition of “Listen In With KNN” sports talk podcast and radio show with award-winning host Kelsey Nicole Nelson, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela A. Smith joined the show to recap the historic year in women’s sports as well as her first year in office.
As a former athlete and a leader in the Washington, D.C. community, Chief Smith brought her experiences from both worlds to the podcast to talk about how they overlap. With over 25 years of law enforcement experience and numerous impactful initiatives under her belt, she has become a respected figure in the District of Columbia.
Pamela Smith began her law enforcement career in San Francisco and made stops in New York and Georgia before settling in the nation’s capital with the MPD. In each location, Chief Smith rose through the ranks in a true testament to her work ethic and commitment to justice. She has been recognized for these qualities by several organizations over her career, including the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE).
In addition to her professional accolades as a police officer, Chief Smith was also quite the accomplished athlete in her youth. Despite not receiving a scholarship for track and field from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), she became a walk-on for their Division I program. She lettered in all four years on the team and her performance in the 400- and 800-meter races led to her induction into the UAPB Sports Hall of Fame this past summer. Chief Smith remains an avid sports fan to this day as a longtime season ticket-holder for the Washington Mystics and a staunch supporter of youth sports programs.
Nelson began the conversation by noting how remarkable Chief Smith’s career has been. Before joining the MPD, her work in the US Park Police was marked by a truly historic achievement: Chief Smith became the first African-American woman to serve as Chief of Police since the agency’s foundation in 1791. Chief Smith humbly acknowledged the kind of platform she has due to this powerful role and explained how she hopes to use it.
“But more importantly, being able to show up as a woman and as a role model for many women – and men – who may not have ever thought they would have an opportunity to rise through the ranks being an African-American with a lot of challenges that we face coming up,” she noted.
The duo then shifted to a discussion of Chief Smith’s personal connection to athletics. In addition to her collegiate track and field career, she also tried other sports such as basketball and credits sports with being a productive outlet in her life.
Chief Smith reflected, “Being able to be with other athletes and really keeping focus on a particular race or a particular discipline really has helped to lead me into this space that I’m in today.”
She brings this passion for sports to her current position as Police Chief, where she is a regular spectator of local D.C. area sports at the high school, college, and professional levels. In attending these contests and showing her support, Chief Smith hopes to appreciate and illuminate all of the talented individuals who blossom in the D.C. area.
“We have icons still that exist in this city. What we have to do is really bring them to the forefront, give them some face time,” she suggested. “And so when scouts start recruiting for different athletes, women athletes, I want people to know how vibrant and how ready our women are in the District of Columbia to be able to play on the largest platform that’s out there.”
Although Chief Smith is admittedly not a native Washingtonian, her commitment to spotlighting the very best of D.C. is commendable. She has seamlessly ingratiated herself into the community, a place she called “the greatest city in the world.” And, of course, that energy translates to her devotion to sports.
As Nelson and Smith joyfully discussed the hometown WNBA team the Washington Mystics, the Chief shared an anecdote about a game she attended in which the visiting team was the Caitlin Clark-led Indiana Fever. She remembered the crowd’s palpable electricity during that game, most of which was generated by the opposing team’s rookie phenom. While Chief Smith appreciates Clark’s role in the meteoric growth of women’s basketball, she also spun the experience into a call to action for D.C. residents to support the Mystics throughout the entire season.
“We should be just as hungry about our own sports teams here in the District of Columbia,” the Chief asserted. “We should be willing, and waiting on the edge of our seats, and being supportive and cheering our teams on.”
Nelson and Chief Smith then circled back to her law enforcement experience and current D.C. role. They alluded to the difficult topic of police brutality in America and the implications of taking on the job of Police Chief. But, Chief Smith credited her relationship with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for alleviating some of the tension.
The Chief explained, “We have a mayor who really believes in her police department, who really supports the Metropolitan Police Department, who supports good legislation, good policies, so that we as members of this city can do the job that we’ve been called to do.”
She also thanked the D.C. community for its sustained encouragement as her first year as Police Chief comes to a close.
“This community has done a fabulous job this year with making sure that they’re standing beside us, standing behind us, and supporting us in this work,” Chief Smith reflected.
Her love for the city she protects is evidenced by all of the ways that she pours back into it. For example, Nelson brought up Chief Smith’s inaugural women’s conference that took place last March, and the duo expressed excitement for the second installation of the event coming in 2025.
Behind an optimistic outlook and a vibrant enthusiasm for her job, D.C.’s police chief has had to grind her way through personal obstacles and adversity to get to where she is today. In Nelson’s own words, the inspiring Pamela A. Smith is “a shining example of what can be.”
Listen to the full episode below.
