What To Know About Trump's DC Takeover

President Donald Trump has declared a “crime emergency” in Washington, D.C., invoking a rarely used provision of the 1973 Home Rule Act to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for the first time in history. The announcement, made without advance notice to D.C.’s mayor or police chief, has caused confusion over command structure, policing strategy, and the role of federal agencies in community policing.

Under the Home Rule Act, the president can assume control of MPD for 48 hours in special emergency conditions and extend that control with congressional notification; longer-term control beyond 30 days requires legislation. Trump has indicated plans to retain control beyond the initial 48 hours.

Mayor Muriel Bowser insists Police Chief Pamela Smith remains in charge of the department and will continue reporting to the city government, but Trump’s order directs the mayor to provide MPD services as deemed necessary by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who will oversee the takeover.

The move includes deploying 800 DC National Guard troops—200 of whom will assist law enforcement—and assigning 130 FBI agents to patrol alongside MPD officers, despite federal agents generally lacking training in community policing and operating under different use-of-force rules. This pairing could create operational conflicts and risks, especially since routine street patrols are outside the FBI’s standard role.

Trump justified the action by citing “out-of-control” crime, while city officials point to declining crime rates. Experts say the short-term measure is unlikely to address root causes of crime and note the unprecedented nature of the federalization. Critics, including Bowser, have called the move an “unsettling and unprecedented” intrusion on D.C.’s autonomy, renewing calls for statehood.