D.C. Mayor Extends Trump’s Federalization Of Law Enforcement As White House Claims Victory In Crime Crackdown

President Donald Trump’s order to federalize law enforcement in Washington, D.C., expires next week on Sept. 10, but, on Tuesday,  D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order that will extend the use of federal agencies to police the streets of D.C., which Trump has declared a “crime-free zone,” claiming victory for reducing crime in a city where crime was already declining.

According to WUSA 9, Bowser’s order continues the work of the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC), which is part of the  Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which the president established. Basically, once the presidential emergency ends, the SBEOC will continue to manage the District’s crime crackdown and coordinate with federal law enforcement. It’s a move that is likely to be popular with MAGA supporters — who have generally ignored the crime data that the Justice Department’s data shows the city’s crime rate had already fallen to a 30-year low — and unpopular with non-Trump supporters, who believe Trump’s crackdown on D.C. crime is political theater designed to justify an ideology-driven attack on democratic cities, especially those that are predominately Black.

Why Bowser has decided to reinforce the Trump administration’s agenda is unclear, but she did express her view that the presence of immigration agents and National Guard troops is “not working,” and that she hopes that will end soon, according to MSNBC. The mayor also emphasized that the District is requesting that federal partners abide by established policing practices, which include “not wearing masks, clearly identifying their agency, and providing identification during arrests and encounters with the public,” WUSA reported.

“Trust between community and law enforcement is central to our city’s safety. We’re requesting that federal agents adhere to effective community policing practices—not wearing masks, clearly identifying their agency, and providing ID during arrests and encounters with the public,” Bowser said via social media.

Here’s a quick rundown on which federal agencies will continue policing D.C., according to WUSA:

Among the federal agencies that the District will continue to partner with are: 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 Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services will continue leading efforts around homelessness, encampments, and moving people into shelter and housing.

Trump’s order to federalize D.C. isn’t even a month old yet, but the city has seen a decrease in violent crime relative to where the numbers were last year, which has Trump and the White House predictably taking credit for ridding the District of crime.

From The Hill:

Since Aug. 7, when Trump ordered a federal law enforcement surge in the District, overall crime in the nation’s capital has decreased by 14 percent and violent crime has decreased by 39 percent, when compared with the same 25-day period in 2024, according to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) data released on Monday.

Within the “violent crime” category, homicides have declined by 58 percent, robberies have declined by 57 percent and sex abuse crimes have declined by 40 percent, while assaults with a deadly weapon increased by 8 percent. Carjackings, a subset of robberies, declined by 82 percent.

Again, this all sounds amazing if you completely ignore that crime in D.C. was already trending downward, and the fact that it has only been roughly a month. Still, Trump is doing his victory lap, and he’s even claiming credit for a rise in Bowser’s popularity.

“Wow! Mayor Muriel Bowser of D.C. has become very popular because she worked with me and my great people in bringing CRIME down to virtually NOTHING in D.C.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Her statements and actions were positive, instead of others like Pritzker, Wes Moore, Newscum, and the 5% approval rated Mayor of Chicago, who spend all of their time trying to justify violent Crime, instead of working with us to completely ELIMINATE it, which we have done in Washington, D.C., NOW A CRIME FREE ZONE,” Trump continued.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to say that about Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and even the Crime Drenched City of Baltimore??? It can happen, and it can happen FAST! Work with us!!!” he wrote. “Congratulations to Mayor Muriel Bowser, but don’t go Woke on us. D.C. is a GIANT VICTORY that never has to end!!!”

Trump and his administration keep emphasizing that they are all about ending out-of-control crime, but the president doesn’t even appear to be trying to hide how politically motivated it all is. Why else would he keep brazenly mentioning his plan to federalize Democrat-run cities where crime is also on a downward slope, and where local leaders have already expressed to Trump that his help is not wanted? (I won’t even get into his gross, obnoxious and dog-whistly use of the word “woke.”)

Democratic leaders in D.C. are predictably unhappy with Bowser for “legitimizing” Trump’s agenda.

From MSNBC:

“As I feared, our Mayor’s words are now being used to justify harmful federal overreach in cities nationwide. This is bigger than DC — or partisan politics. It’s about resisting creeping authoritarianism,” Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker wrote on X, adding, “we must not legitimize an illegitimate agenda.”

“She said she appreciates the federal surge and that it’s having positive results in D.C. That’s not the case,” at-large Councilmember Robert White Jr., a Democrat, said in a video on X.

“We should not, as the District of Columbia, be giving people the impression that this is a good thing, that we are OK with it, that it is helping the city. It is not doing any of those things, and it is not intended to help us,” White said.

“This is trampling on democracy in real time,” he said. “I am not OK with this. The average resident is not OK with this. D.C. residents, D.C. voters, are not OK with this.”

Another Democratic councilmember, Brianne Nadeau, of Ward 1, posted on X that “DC is under siege” from the federal government, with “armed military patrolling our streets & masked agents scooping up neighbors & taking them away.”

“Our residents are afraid, hesitant to go out & to work, angry that our limited autonomy is being eroded. There is nothing welcome about this,” she said.

It’s worth mentioning that arrests and firearm confiscations have surged since Trump issued his initial order. According to the National News Desk, nearly 1,700 arrests have been made, and, as we previously reported, some of those arrests are being thrown out by judges and grand juries who believe they came as a result of law enforcement officials violating the civil rights of citizens.

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