Washington, DC police put under federal control, National Guard deployed

Summary

President Donald Trump on Monday placed the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control and deployed 800 National Guard troops in the capital city to address what he claimed was out-of-control crime there.It is the first time that a president has federalized the Metropolitan Police Department. Trump's move drew fierce condemnation from local officials, who noted that official statistics show crime in D.C. is on the decline."I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor, and worse," Trump said at the start of a news conference at the White House,"This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we're going to take our capitol back," he said.Of the roughly 800 National Guard members Trump ordered to D.C., about 100 to 200 will be aiding law enforcement at any given time for "administrative, logistics and physical presence," NBC News reported.D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalbe called Trump's actions "unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful," and signaled his office will take action to challenge the administration."There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year," Schwalbe said in an X post."We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents," he said.Trump's federalization of the city's police force relies on his authority under Section 740 of the district's Home Rule Act, the decades-old law that established Washington's local government.That section gives a president the power to order the district's mayor to temporarily hand over control of the Metropolitan Police force if the president determines that "special conditions of an emergency nature exist."The emergency control is set to expire after a maximum of 30 days, according to the statute. That can be extended, but only if Congress passes a law authorizing it.Although Tr...