Trump takes control of DC Police, deploys National Guard in historic move

In a first since DC's 1973 Home Rule Act, Trump invokes emergency powers to federalise policing and send troops into the capital's streets

President Donald Trump announced on August 11 that his administration would assume direct control of Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department and deploy around 800 National Guard troops, citing what he described as an “urgent crime problem”.

 

The announcement, made during a White House press conference, marks the first time a president has exercised such authority over the city’s policing since Washington was granted limited self-governance through the 1973 Home Rule Act.

What does the Home Rule Act say

Washington’s historically majority Black population did not elect its own city council and mayor until Republican President Richard Nixon signed the Home Rule Act in 1973. While the legislation allowed greater local control, it preserved significant powers for the president and Congress. 

 

 

Section 740 of the Act permits the president to take over the Metropolitan Police Department for up to 48 hours in an emergency, with possible extensions to 30 days. No president had used this authority until now.

 

The US Constitution designates the District of Columbia as the federal seat of power under the jurisdiction of Congress rather than any state. Although the Home Rule Act transferred many powers to the city’s elected leadership, the president retained considerable residual authority.

Trump takes over the police, cites rising violence

Trump cited several recent high-profile violent incidents as justification for his decision, including the killing of a 21-year-old congressional intern and the assault of a news staff member during an attempted carjacking.

 

“This is liberation day in DC, and we’re going to take our Capitol back,” he said, describing the intervention as a necessary step to restore public safety.  "This has to be the best run place in the country, not the worst run place in the country," Trump added.

Statistics say otherwise

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other local officials condemned the move as “unprecedented” and unnecessary. The statistics also speak the same as the violent crime in the city has fallen to its lowest level in three decades, after an increase in 2023. Carjackings dropped by about 50 per cent in 2024 and have continued to decline this year.

 

More than half of those arrested for such crimes are juveniles, a fact the Trump administration argues highlights weaknesses in the city’s justice system and has reignited debate over sentencing and rehabilitation

Trump activates 800 National Guard troops in DC

The president’s order also involved the activation of the National Guard in Washington. This is not without precedent, Trump deployed the Guard during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, when members were criticised for flying a helicopter too low over a crowd, and again on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the US Capitol. 

  Trump’s second-term actions in Washington come as a legal battle continues over his deployment of the Guard in Los Angeles, another Democratic-led city, despite objections from Governor Gavin Newsom. His authority there is less clear, but an appeals court has so far refused to intervene.

Uncertain duration and potential legal challenge

Trump did not specify how long the federal control would last. Legal experts expect the move to be challenged in court.

 

Congress still holds authority over DC’s budget and laws passed by its council, but would have to repeal the Home Rule Act to expand presidential powers further, a measure likely to face strong opposition from most Democrats.

 

The law applies only to Washington, DC, and does not affect other US cities with home rule powers under their respective state governments.