President Donald Trump said yesterday he is placing the Washington, DC, police department “under direct federal control” and deploying National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, citing a public safety emergency following an assault on a former government worker.
Here’s what you need to know:
• National Guard activated: Trump activated 800 soldiers from the DC National Guard, with up to 200 members being assigned to supporting law enforcement, according to the Defense Department.
• Crime stats: Trump’s announcement comes after the assault of a 19-year-old former Department of Government Efficiency worker during an attempted carjacking on August 3. While Trump has repeatedly criticized what he describes as a surge in violent crime in Washington, overall crime numbers this year are lower than last year.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called the move “unsettling and unprecedented” during a news conference yesterday, saying she believes Trump’s view of DC was “shaped by his Covid-era experience during his first term” when crime spiked.
• Home Rule Act: Trump’s move draws on the sweeping, but temporary powers granted under the Home Rule Act of 1973, a law that balances local self-governance with federal oversight in the capital. While the president can assume control of the police department for up to two days, extending this authority would require congressional notice or a change to the law. This marks the first time in the act’s history that a president has assumed control of the city’s police force.
• Questions remain: The Metropolitan Police, along with federal agencies tasked with helping curb crime in the nation’s capital, are scrambling to figure out roles and strategy following Trump’s decision, multiple sources told CNN.
Bowser said she was trying to set up a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Trump said would be overseeing the implementation of his order. She also maintained that Chief of Police Pamela Smith would still run the department and report to Bowser up through the deputy mayor.
