DC Mayor Orders Local Cooperation With Federal Crime Crackdown

Democrat Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order Tuesday continuing President Donald Trump’s executive order of federal officers in the nation’s capital, which local law enforcement will cooperate with.

Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Aug. 11 and invoked Section 40 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to crack down on crime in the city. In a press release issued Tuesday, Bowser announced the continuance of the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC) to manage Washington, D.C.’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which had been established by Trump through a declaration of emergency.

“During and after the Presidential emergency, the SBEOC will manage the District’s response, coordinate centralized communications, and ensure coordination with federal law enforcement to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District,” the press release states.

“Post-emergency planning will include the coordination of continued enhanced federal law enforcement efforts with the following agencies, which the District regularly works with: the United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Park Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Capitol Police, and the United States Secret Service,” the press release continued.

Along with the SBEOC’s continuance, Bowser requested that federal officers “adhere to established policing practices that maintain community confidence in law enforcement,” which includes not wearing masks, identifying their agencies and providing identification during arrests.

In response to Bowser’s update, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt applauded Bowser’s efforts in “partnering” with the administration, telling other Democrat mayors to “take note.”

“President Trump’s efforts to crack down on crime in DC have yielded tremendous results in such a short time — violent crime has plummeted and dangerous criminals are being removed from the streets every single night,” Leavitt said. “The Trump Administration is grateful to continue partnering with Mayor Bowser to make DC the safest city in the country. The Mayor’s fellow Democrats should take note, working with President Trump means safer communities and less crime – no one in their right mind could seriously oppose that.”

Trump’s decision to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital came after a slew of crimes in Washington, D.C. attracted national attention. Among the most recent were the brutal attack against a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer and the fatal June 30 shooting of Republican intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym.

Democrats and legacy media pundits, citing local police data, have said Washington, D.C.’s crime rate dropped 35% in 2024, however, the statistics left out crimes such as felonies and aggravated assaults. In July, the Metropolitan Police Department said an investigation was opened against D.C. police Commander Michael Pulliam for allegedly altering crime statistics in his district, according to NBC Washington.

U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday that 70 arrests were made Monday evening, with three guns removed from the streets, bringing the total since the city’s federalization to 1,669 arrests and 168 illegal guns seized.

Despite pushback from Democrats about Trump’s order, a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Aug. 25 reported that 54% of registered voters said Trump’s crime-fighting efforts in the nation’s capital are “justified and necessary.”

In addition to the National Guard being deployed in Washington D.C, Trump has suggested he might send troops to cities like Chicago or New York City.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Adam Michael Szuscik/Unsplash)