WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — President Donald Trump’s recent decision to deploy the U.S. National Guard in cities he labeled “public safety emergencies” is drawing criticism from residents and officials who argue the move is more about politics than public safety.
Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, which gives the president temporary authority over local police and the ability to override the mayor. He claimed the Guard is needed to counter “increasing crime rates.”
Like his other actions framed as national “emergencies,” including tariff changes, immigration enforcement and border wall construction, some communities see the Guard deployment as a political stunt. According to The Bulwark, many residents view it as a “power grab and PR stunt” meant to project toughness on crime despite data showing otherwise. Critics say it wastes federal resources that could be directed to real public safety needs.
Two years ago, Washington, D.C., did experience a rise in violent crime. But with new leaders in office and other contributing factors, the rate has been gradually declining. Some argue Trump is exaggerating the extent of that decline to fit his narrative.
The Bulwark noted that police patrols and officer visibility are proven tools to deter crime. Whether through routine patrols, dispute response or incident coverage, visible officers have contributed to a drop in crime rates. Residents and local officials say areas with steady patrols are seen as places with a higher “likelihood of being caught for misbehavior.”
Writer Jonathan Blanks reported in The Bulwark that residents believe the National Guard will provide only a temporary fix, lacking the trust and community ties that local police have built. Federal officers and Guard members are not trained for local law enforcement, making their presence less effective and potentially counterproductive.
Trump’s reliance on federal officers has also raised concerns about deprioritizing other critical enforcement. Since his inauguration, critics say federal prosecutions have weakened, including cases tied to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Resources were shifted toward immigration enforcement, with arrests tripling in May after agents were reassigned.
The Bulwark reported that some agents support Trump’s agenda, while others see morale slipping. Being reassigned to tasks outside their training has left agents feeling their skills are wasted on political objectives. Critics warn that deploying troops outside D.C. without proper training could actually worsen violent crime.
Overall, residents and officials in Washington, D.C., and beyond argue that Trump’s use of the National Guard is aimed at political power rather than crime reduction. They say the federal overreach undermines community trust in local law enforcement. Despite claims of underreported crime, independent data shows crime has been decreasing, not increasing.
Trump’s actions, critics argue, weaken trust in government while boosting his political gain.
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Critics claim DC has been purposely underreporting crime for several years:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/crime/general/dc-police-union-boss-says-officers-fudged-crime-data-under-orders-from-superiors/ar-AA1KPCSY
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5461239-doj-investigation-dc-crime-data-trump-takeover/
“Opinion by Harold Hutchison ”
“Harold Hutchison is a reporter for the Daily Caller.”
The other piece is from the Hill.
When you look closely at that Hill piece, the “investigation” isn’t really independent.
The Justice Department’s probe is being run by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C., which sits within the Trump-led DOJ. That means the very agency controlled by Trump is investigating claims that Trump himself is making about crime numbers. The quotes from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Fox News echo Trump’s narrative almost word for word: D.C. is “incredibly unsafe” and crime data are misleading.
On top of that, the only other voices backing Trump are the D.C. Police Union, which not only supported his takeover of the force but has been publicly skeptical of official crime reductions for years. So what looks on paper like a federal watchdog probe is really the administration and its allies investigating city leadership that opposes Trump’s intervention.
Why is it so it so hard to believe that crime stats go underreported when police commander raises, promotions and pressure from city mayors lead them to do so?
“In this lawsuit from 2020, Sergeant Charlotte Djossou claimed that MPD routinely misclassified crimes, and that “districts compete against each other to get the largest reduction in the crime statistics.”
That possibly paved the way to promotions and raises.
She claimed higher-ups in the department told officers to do so, creating “a long history of trying to distort crime statistics”; “…including downgrading felonies to misdemeanors”.
Djossou gave one striking example of a domestic violence case where a woman had a deep cut from her forehead to her chinthe officer on scene called it “assault with a dangerous weapon,” but the captain allegedly changed it to “sick person to the hospital.”
Djoussou claimed there were also tendencies to relabel theft and shoplifting cases as ‘taking property without right’ because that category wasn’t tracked in the crime report.”
https://wjla.com/news/local/dc-police-crime-numbers-manipulated-statistics-sergeant-whistleblower-metropolitan-lawsuit-crimes-police-union-jury-trial-city-crime-violent-non-violent-domestic-public
You are presenting accusations as evidence. And you are doing so from folks that are not independent and impartial.
DC settled with Sergeant Charlotte Djossou out of court days before the jury trial. Why would they settle unless she had them by the short hairs? I think Sergeant Charlotte Djossou knows way more about what was occurring than you do, she actually worked there. In my opinion it’s your views here that are just conjecture and you’re not by any means independent or impartial.
You would have to be able to show:
That what was occuring in 2020 is continuing
That it is at a magnitude that it would actually impact statistical analysis
And that DC is bucking national crime trends
There is a lot of supposition and speculation, but no hard evidence in the present.
Violent crime in Washington, DC, has dropped 22 percent over the last week and carjackings have dropped an astonishing 83 percent. Additionally, robbery has dropped 46 percent.
DC residents can thank President Trump.
And all it cost us was our democracy… congrats, we are now a police state.
It didn’t cost us our democracy. You need to relax. You’re going to be okay.
I might be… others, not so much. (Link)
The bigger threat to democracy is the illegal gerrymandering that CA is going to put on the ballot because of Newsom.
You’re a funny guy sometimes
David, have you ever thought back at how many times you’ve claimed something was a crisis or the end of democracy that never actually played out? Now that’s a funny guy…
The implicit notion in that is that there is an end of history rather than a progression