Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia

Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia
DateAugust 11, 2025 – present (2025-08-11 – present)
LocationWashington, D.C., United States
TypeState of emergency
CauseHigh crime (as claimed by the Trump administration)
Deportation in the second presidency of Donald Trump
ParticipantsMPD and federal law enforcement
Arrests111+[1][2]

"Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia" is an executive order issued by U.S. president Donald Trump in August 2025.[3][4][5][6]

On August 11, 2025, Trump switched control of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia from the city government of Washington, D.C. to the federal government, invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act for the first time in history. Trump also deployed federal law enforcement agencies and the District of Columbia National Guard in response to what he claimed was "rampant crime" in the city, despite city and federal statistics reporting the lowest violent crime in 30 years.

Background

See also: False or misleading statements by Donald Trump § News conference about crime in Washington, D.C.

Section 740 of the DC Home Rule Act, entitled "Emergency Control of Police" requires the mayor of DC to "provide, such services of the Metropolitan Police force as the President may deem necessary and appropriate" whenever the President of the United States determines that "special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes". (The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia or MPD is normally under control of the city government.) The President is required to notify the leaders of the Committee on the District of Columbia of the Senate and the House of Representatives in writing within 48 hours. The law requires Congress to approve the action within 30 days if it is in session, or after coming into session.

On August 4, 2025, Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency also known as "Big Balls", was assaulted and bloodied during an attempted carjacking according to MPD, who arrived and apprehended two alleged perpetrators. This prompted President Donald Trump to write "crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control".[7]

Timeline

  • August 11: Trump invoked Section 740, declaring a public safety emergency of rampant crime in the city.[9][10] In contrast, city and federal crime statistics showed violent crime in the district at a 30-year low, after reaching a 20-year high the year before.[11][12] Trump at the same time announced the deployment of 800 troops from the District of Columbia National Guard, with 100-200 expected to be on duty at any given time.[11] Both would be commanded by the head of the U.S. Marshals Service under the United States Attorney General, Pam Bondi.[13] Federal officials do not have the authority to arrest people for minor crimes, even in the federal district, and so would need to detain any suspected criminals and wait for the D.C. Metropolitan Police to arrive and perform the arrest.[13] In support of his claims, Trump cited a chart from social media containing several errors and out-of-date statistics.[14]
  • August 15: United States Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed acting DEA administrator Terry Cole as "emergency police commissioner". Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb criticized the move as unlawful, stating that the federalization of police did not authorize the administration to change the MPD chain of command, with Schwalb filing a lawsuit against the appointment in federal court.[15][16] The Trump administration then negotiated with the Bowser administration, allowing Pamela Smith, the D.C. police chief, to remain in charge.[17]
  • August 16: The Republican governors of Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia announced that they would be sending hundreds of National Guard or military police from their states.[17]

Protests

Some local residents protested the increased presence of federal law enforcement and the National Guard. A checkpoint on 14th St, a popular nightlife area, was met with a crowd of about 100 protestors, some who jeered at the officers and others who warned approaching drivers about the checkpoint, which eventually was disbanded later that night.[18]

On August 16, hundreds of protesters rallied at Dupont Circle and then marched to the White House.[19][20]

Reactions

The moves received both protest and praise. Street protests and complaints from DC government about lack of effective prosecutions due to vacancies in the federal United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (which prosecutes all adult crimes) and the two vacancies on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (which must be nominated by the U.S. President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate) occurred on the day of Trump's announcement.[13] The head of the DC Police Union praised President Trump's temporary takeover of the Metropolitan Police and deployment of National Guard troops as a "critical stopgap" amid "out of control" crime, although they want the action to be only temporary.[21] Brian Schwalb, Attorney General for the District of Columbia interprets Section 740 to mean the mayor and police chief remain in the chain of command, and disputes that this allows a federal takeover. Schwalb stated that contrary to Trump's assertion that DC police can now do "whatever the hell they want", the US Constitution and District law still apply to police conduct.[22]

In response to the announcements from the governors of Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia that they would be sending hundreds of National Guard or military police to D.C. from their states to support Trump's effort, journalist Philip Bump analyzed FBI crime data and determined that 43 cities in those three states had higher violent crime rates than D.C.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Popli, Nik (August 13, 2025). "Trump's D.C. Takeover Yields 66 Arrests; More Guard Troops Coming Wednesday". TIME. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  2. ^ Mackey, Robert; Popat, Shrai; Campbell, Lucy; Ambrose, Tom (August 14, 2025). "White House says 45 arrests made on Wednesday night". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via www.theguardian.com.
  3. ^ Office of the Press Secretary (August 11, 2025). "Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via National Archives and Records Administration.
  4. ^ "Trump says he's placing Washington police under federal control and activating the National Guard". AP News. August 11, 2025. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  5. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (August 11, 2025). "What Trump can — and can't — do in his bid to take over law enforcement in DC". Politico. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  6. ^ Smith, David; Chidi, George (August 11, 2025). "Trump seizes control of Washington DC police and deploys national guard". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  7. ^ Hutchinson, Bill; Date, Jack; Walsh, Kelsey (August 6, 2025). "19-year-old former DOGE worker assaulted in DC carjacking attempt, say police". ABC News.
  8. ^ Zilbermints, Regina (August 7, 2025). "Trump orders federal law enforcement to patrol DC". The Hill.
  9. ^ LIVE: Trump announces plan to tackle homelessness and crime in DC (Internet video). Associated Press. August 11, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  10. ^ "Trump Details Crime Crackdown For D.C. Donald Trump holds a White House press briefing to detail a federal crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C. Read the transcript here". Rev. August 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Tom Bowman; Meg Anderson (August 11, 2025). "President Trump deploys National Guard to D.C., takes control of Police Department". NPR.
  12. ^ Gilder, Lucy; Horton, Jake. "Is crime in Washington DC 'out of control', as Trump claims?". BBC.
  13. ^ a b c Katie Rogers. "Trump takes control of the D.C. police, citing 'bloodthirsty criminals.' But crime is down". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Lazaro Gamio (August 11, 2025). "Trump's homicide-rate chart has been making the rounds on right-wing social media". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  15. ^ Sutherland, Callum (August 15, 2025). "D.C. Mayor Leads Pushback Against Appointment of Terry Cole". TIME. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  16. ^ Lynch, Sarah N. (August 15, 2025). "Washington D.C. attorney general sues to stop federal takeover of police department". Reuters. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Vicens, A.J. (August 17, 2025). "3 Republican-led states are deploying National Guard troops to DC: What to know". Reuters. Retrieved August 17, 2025 – via USA Today.
  18. ^ Whitehurst, Lindsay; Khalil, Ashraf (August 14, 2025). "'Get off our streets': Federal agents set up checkpoint in DC, drawing protesters". Associated Press. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via NBC News.
  19. ^ Mann, Brian (August 16, 2025). "Hundreds march to White House to protest Trump's D.C. crackdown". NPR. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  20. ^ Carbonaro, Giulia (August 17, 2025). "Photos, videos show 'Fight the Trump Takeover' protests across the country". Newsweek. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  21. ^ Hurley, Amanda (August 11, 2025). "DC mayor, leaders, police union react to Trump's takeover of MPD". FOX 5 DC. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  22. ^ Obed Manuel; Michel Martin (August 12, 2025). "Trump's takeover 'out of touch' with facts on the ground, says D.C. attorney general". NPR.
  23. ^ Bump, Philip (August 16, 2025). "More people in Ohio need protection from violent crime than there are people in D.C." pbump.net. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
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