Washington, D.C. – On Monday, President Donald Trump said there was a “public safety emergency” in Washington D.C. He said that his government would take over the city’s police department and send 800 National Guard troops to the city. Trump said at a news conference that the move was an effort to “take our capital back.” It would involve getting rid of “the slums” and homeless camps.
To do this, Trump used Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. This law lets the president put the city’s police force under federal administration during “special conditions of an emergency nature.” He gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the order to call up the National Guard.
The Washington Metropolitan Police Department is now under the control of Attorney General Pam Bondi. The president didn’t say when he would take charge of the police department, but the law says he can only do so for 30 days.
Trump’s moves are being called an appropriate response to what he called a wave of anarchy in the capital. But this claim doesn’t match up with what the city says about the numbers. The Associated Press says that violent crime in Washington, D.C. is down 26% this year, which is a change from a rise in 2023. There has been a big drop in murders, robberies, and burglaries.
Around 500 federal law enforcement personnel are also being sent to the city to help fight crime, along with the National Guard. These officers, who work for the FBI, ATF, DEA, and Marshals Service, will be enforcing the law under Title 32’s “federal-state status” jurisdiction.
The decision has caused a lot of anger, with many worried about what it could mean for D.C.’s home rule and the possibility of the city becoming more like a federal government.