From PBS NewsHour.
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is taking federal control of the D.C. police and deploying 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital to crack down on homelessness and crime.
"I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse," Trump said at a White House news conference. "This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back."
Trump said he was invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973, which allows the president to take control of the District’s police temporarily if he "determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist."
Under the act, the president can federalize the police department for 48 hours. Trump can take control of the police force for up to 30 days if he notifies the leaders of specific congressional committees. To federalize them for more than 30 days, the president would need approval from Congress.
Trump said he is declaring a public safety emergency in the District of Columbia even though federal officials announced in January that violent crime in the city hit a 30-year low in 2024. The president threatened a federal takeover of the city last week after two teens allegedly attempted the carjacking of a prominent former Department of Government Efficiency official, Edward Coristine. Two 15-year-olds were arrested in connection with the assault.
So far in 2025, violent crime is down 26% in Washington, D.C., compared to this same period last year, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department.
While speaking to reporters, Trump also said his administration could implement similar actions in other cities if needed. The Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles is the subject of a federal trial that began Monday in California.
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