In a surprising announcement on Monday, Pamela Smith revealed her decision to step down as Washington, D.C.’s police chief after a tenure of just two and a half years.

Smith’s departure comes amid significant pressure from the Trump administration, which earlier this year took control of the Metropolitan Police Department and increased the presence of federal law enforcement across the capital.

“There comes a moment when you simply know it’s time,” Smith shared with Axios, the outlet that first broke the news of her resignation.

Expressing her gratitude, Smith stated, “I am deeply humbled and appreciative of my time in the District of Columbia. Serving as Chief of Police has been the pinnacle of my career. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser for her trust in appointing me and to the DC Council for their unwavering support throughout my service.”

Chief Pamela Smith’s decision marks the end of her significant leadership role in the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser praised Smith’s work as police chief in her own statement on Monday, saying she weathered “attacks on our city’s autonomy.”

Smith has faced criticism from some D.C. residents who claim she has allowed MPD officers to assist federal agents in immigration enforcement, a claim she denies.

“We are not aligned with ICE. We do not, and have not since the crime emergency, worked alongside ICE,” Smith told Axios. “[Social media] videos lend one aspect of what you see. If they show up, they show up. They’re federal officers.”

Smith has also faced controversy within her own department, with many rank-and-file officers accusing higher-ups of reclassifying crimes to make the city’s crime data appear more benign.

As of October, roughly three dozen rank-and-file officers and detectives had lodged complaints with the Justice Department, as the city faces an investigation into whether crime statistics were intentionally misreported under the Trump administration.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, joined by Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., on September 5. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

According to officers, MPD leadership had for months — and in some cases years — instructed subordinates to downgrade serious offenses. Some precinct-level reports are said to have contained as many as 150 potentially misclassified incidents in the Southeast D.C. Seventh District alone. In about half of those cases, supervisors later upgraded the charges.

“I as the chief of police never, would ever say to anyone to alter stats,” Smith said Monday.

While city leaders and Democrats point to data showing violent crime is at a 30-year low, the DOJ and House Oversight Committee are probing whether those numbers are being masked by internal manipulation.

The DOJ’s criminal probe is being run out of D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office.