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The Trump administration on Tuesday advanced its unprecedented federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police force, convening top federal and city leaders to coordinate crime-fighting efforts as hundreds of National Guard troops and federal agents move into the city.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith met with Attorney General Pam Bondi and senior Justice Department officials at D.C. police headquarters. Bowser, who has criticized the move as “unsettling and unprecedented,” said the meeting focused on ensuring the additional federal force “is being well used, and all in an effort to drive down crime.”
Bondi described the talks as “productive,” pledging that federal authorities would “work closely with the city to make Washington, D.C., safe again.” She was joined by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, and leaders from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
President Donald Trump invoked a little-used law Monday allowing him to assume control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for up to 30 days. The move follows his repeated claims that the city’s Democratic leadership has failed to address crime — a charge Bowser disputes, noting violent crime fell sharply in 2024.
Federal officials say the takeover will bring about 800 National Guard members and roughly 500 federal law enforcement agents to the capital. Some agents began foot patrols over the weekend. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Guard troops would “flow into” the city this week, though local officials noted they will not have arrest authority.
Police Chief Smith welcomed the federal presence, saying it would “make our city even better.” She emphasized that federal and local officers will work “side by side” in areas with concentrated crime. “Residents will see us jointly enforcing the efforts that we need around the city,” she said.
The federalization of D.C.’s police department — the first such action in decades — comes amid heightened political tensions between the Trump administration and local Democratic leaders. While the president’s authority over the city’s police is rooted in federal law, its use in this context underscores the deep divide over how to tackle crime in the nation’s capital.
