Metropolitan Police Department Cmdr. Cathy L. Lanier, a 16-year force veteran with a background in community policing and homeland security, will be elevated to police chief come Jan. 2, Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty announced Monday.

Lanier, 39, former commander of the 4th District and current commander of the Office of Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism, will replace Chief Charles Ramsey, who has led the department since 1998. With the D.C. Council’s approval, she will serve as the first permanent female police chief in the nation’s capital.

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