He has the power to issue mobilisation orders — something other state governors would do — because Washington, DC, is not a state and so its National Guard reports directly to the president. This gives the federal government wide latitude to deploy soldiers and regulate public safety. Trump's move to commandeer the DC police force is supported by the Home Rule Act of 1973, which allows the president to take temporary control for up to 48 hours in a crisis, extendable by notification of Congress to no more than 30 days. Extended control would need to be approved by Congress, something that is distant given the current political climate. It is the shortest time in history that a president has taken control of the capital's police force.
City and Law Enforcement Reactions
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser responded to the announcement by noting that Trump has never spoken to her before making it, reportedly saying she found it "unsettling and unprecedented," with possible insights on crime patterns from within his recycled perception of the city. Action: DC Police Union chairman Greggory Pemberton said it was necessary
Their deployment came hours after President Trump activated 800 DC National Guard, with 200 to support law enforcement in administrative, logistical and visible roles. The Washington Post has reported that FEMA is sending 500 officers from three agencies within the Department of Homeland Security to back up D.C. police: the FBI and the Border Patrol, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This weekend, Trump redeployed officers from a very broad range of agencies, including 130 FBI agents, to work in parallel with local police patrolling neighbourhoods.
Crime Trends Show Decline
While Trump is warning of soaring violence, the city's official data indicates that crime rates have fallen significantly since 2023. In 2024, homicides declined by 32 percent to 187 from the previous year's total of 274 —the highest number since the late-1990s—which was in turn succeeded by a further reduction of about 12 percent during the first part of this year, as there have been currently at least one fewer casualty per day compared what had previously occurred on average. They fell from 959 in 2023 to around 500 in 2024 as well, and just by a mere 188 this year. Carjackings were at their lowest monthly total since May 2020 in July.
In 1998, I reported for the Washington Post that cities once infamous for their homicide rates — such as Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore and Detroit — had experienced significant reductions in violent crime over the previous two years. But even as the trend develops, Trump insists that Washington remains in need of immediate help to restore order, saying Monday: "Washington, D.C. will never be the same.
