President Trump on Monday announced the federal government was taking control of Washington, D.C.’s police department, sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard throughout the nation’s capital to tackle crime.
The show of force was necessary to tame Washington’s out-of-control criminal activity, Trump said, though actual crime in the city is at its lowest point in decades. Some 800 National Guard troops will deploy in the city, joining about 500 federal agents diverted from various agencies to patrol the streets.
Only between 100 and 200 National Guard soldiers will be supporting law enforcement at any given time; they will perform duties including administrative tasks, logistics and “physical presence in support of law enforcement,” Army officials said in a statement. They will join officers and agents from the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Agency; Park Police; U.S. Marshals Service; and the Secret Service.
Additional military deployments are possible, the president said.
Last week, Trump deployed federal law enforcement to supplement Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. At a Monday-morning press conference at the White House, the president said they have already made dozens of arrests and will crack down on gang violence and homeless populations. He announced that decision after a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency appeared to be injured by individuals engaging in a carjacking.
The president also said his efforts would ensure the safety of the federal workforce.
“Every American has a constitutional right to be able to access and petition their government in safety, and countless federal officials and employees likewise have the right to carry out their jobs in peace without being shot,” he said.
The president is federalizing Washington’s police force under a provision of the Home Rule Act, the 1973 law that allowed the capital city to mostly govern itself independently. Trump can only maintain federal control of the force for 30 days before requiring legislation from Congress. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said he would soon introduce a bill to overturn Trump’s actions. Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, however, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised Trump’s decision.
The president predicted federal staff would cooperate well with local police, and that Washington residents would welcome FBI agents and other federal law enforcement on their streets.
“We will have full, seamless, integrated cooperation at all levels of law enforcement, and will deploy officers across the district with an overwhelming presence,” Trump said.
Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum, who oversees U.S. Park Police, said at the White House Monday his employees were celebrating Trump’s announcement. He noted the Park Police have already been involved in removing graffiti and homeless encampments.
“They’ve been doing a fantastic job, but they are so pleased, the rank and file, that President Trump is now allowing them to enforce the law,” Burgum said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the career staff in the Justice Department would ensure a smooth deployment of federal staff in Washington.
“We have some of the best career law enforcement and prosecutors in the country who are ready to take this on,” Bondi said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, D-D.C., said Trump’s actions were “unsettling and unprecedented.” She said her administration had received no warning of them, but was unsurprised. She said she would continue to work with his administration to ensure the city’s economy “is supported by rational federal workforce, federal workers and federal property in the District of Columbia.”
Pamela Smith, the chief of police in D.C., said she met with federal partners for an hour on Sunday to discuss where to aim their deployment, and will engage in a more detailed discussion later on Monday. Terry Cole, head of DEA, will coordinate the federal takeover of Washington’s police.
Brian Schwalb, attorney general in D.C., said Trump’s actions were unnecessary and his office was “considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents.” Bowser, however, noted the Home Rule Act compels her to comply with the president after he declares an emergency, as Trump has done.
National Guard soldiers deployed in the capital after the Sept. 11 attacks, to support COVID-19 relief efforts and during widespread protests in 2020.
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