Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, will lead the federal takeover of the police department of Washington, DC — the major move that President Donald Trump announced Monday, the liberation day for the capital. Cole, a longtime DEA agent who was Virginia’s secretary of public safety before joining the Trump administration, will lead the federal efforts to free Washington from the “out-of-control” crime. “Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore. We’re not going to take it,” Trump said Monday.Trump’s takeover is authorized by law for 30 days. He would need congressional approval to legally maintain control after that.

Cole worked in Bogota, Kabul as an agent

Cole joined the DEA in 1997 and worked as an agent in Bogota, Kabul and Mexico City, in addition to spending time in management in Dallas and the DC area. In the early 2000s, Cole was sent to Bohota when US has its operation there called Plan Colombia. DEA agents like Cole worked with vetted teams of Colombian police. In 2006, ten officers with whom Cole worked were gunned down by Colombian soldiers later convicted of working with a cartel, CNN reported. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that federal immigration and border control officials have been deployed “to help clean up the streets of our nation’s capital.”Trump complained about potholes and graffiti in the city and said it was “embarrassing.” “This is a tragic emergency. And it’s embarrassing for me to be up here,” Trump said. “I don’t like being up here talking about how unsafe and how dirty and disgusting this once beautiful capital was, with graffiti all over the walls.”In addition, Trump also said, “We will bring in the military if it’s needed,” but added, “I don’t think we’ll need it.” DC mayor Muriel Bowser, however, has said violent crime in the district has decreased since a rise in 2023.