National Guard troops are now on the streets of Washington, D.C., the day after President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency” and became the first president to use Section 740 of the 1973 Home Rule Act to federalize the city’s police force.
Mayor Muriel Bowser says she will work with federal officials but stressed that Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith remains in charge of day-to-day policing.
The move comes as violent crime in the District is down 26% and at a 30-year low. Still, more than 850 federal officers were deployed Monday night, arresting 23 people on charges ranging from homicide to subway fare evasion.
U.S. Park Police also cleared 70 homeless encampments, telling residents to enter shelters or treatment programs or face fines or jail.
What is unclear is whether Guard members will be armed, how long federal control will last beyond the 30-day legal limit, and how the city’s constitutional policing standards will apply under the newly named interim federal administrator of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole.
Some observers are questioning whether the move is a power grab.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
