D.C. Mayor Calls Federal Takeover Of Police Department "Unsettling"

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C., said Monday that the federal government's takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department was "unsettling" and "unprecedented," calling it an "intrusion on our autonomy."

At a press conference, Bowser said she believes that US President Donald Trump's view of D.C. stems from his first-term, COVID-era experience, when crime spiked, Xinhua reported.

"But we worked quickly to put laws in place and tactics that got violent offenders off our streets and gave our police officers more tools, which is why we have seen a huge decrease in crime," said Bowser.

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"Crime isn't just down from 2023. It's also down from 2019 before the pandemic, and we're at a 30-year violent crime low," she said.

Earlier Monday, Trump held a White House press conference, announcing that he had formally invoked the Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. He also announced that he was deploying the National Guard to help restore law and order and public safety in the nation's capital.

Trump also signed an executive order declaring a "crime emergency" in Washington, D.C., stating that crime in the district was "out of control" and determining that "special conditions of an emergency nature" exist that require the use of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia "for Federal purposes."

Bowser noted that Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith has established a high-level liaison mechanism with the federal government, designated a point of contact, and made initial contacts.

"The executive order is also clear that the President has dedicated his authority to make requests of us to Attorney General Pam Bondi. I have reached out to Attorney General Bondi, and hope to schedule a meeting soon," said Bowser.

Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to mobilise the District of Columbia National Guard and order members to active service, "in such numbers as he deems necessary, to address the epidemic of crime in our Nation's capital."

--BERNAMA-XINHUA