President Donald Trump stands before a formation of U.S. service members, in a White House file photo. (@Whitehouse.gov)
President Donald Trump’s unprecedented use of the D.C. Home Rule Act to take control of the city’s police force by removing its elected leadership from operational control has intensified legal and political debates over crime, autonomy, and presidential authority.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump invoked Section 740 of the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control, declaring a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital. The order delegated operational control to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump said DEA Administrator Terry Cole would serve in an interim leadership role at MPD during the emergency.
The directive brought 800 National Guard troops and hundreds of federal agents from the FBI, DEA, Border Patrol, and Park Police into the city. According to the White House, about 850 federal personnel patrolled the city on the first night, leading to 23 arrests and the seizure of six handguns. National Guard units were posted at high-profile sites such as the National Mall, while federal agents conducted patrols in neighborhoods across the city.
Although the administration cited public safety concerns, MPD’s dashboard shows violent crime down 26% year-to-date and homicides down about 11% compared with the same period in 2024. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the takeover “unsettling,” and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb described it as “unlawful,” pointing to the downward trajectory in crime rates. Within hours of the federal order, a fatal shooting in Logan Circle became the city’s 100th homicide of the year.
Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act allows the president to assume direct control of the Metropolitan Police Department during what is deemed a public safety emergency, initially for up to 48 hours and extendable to 30 days with congressional notification; any longer requires an act of Congress. While federal law enforcement has previously assisted in D.C. during crises—such as the 1968 riots, the 2001 post-9/11 security measures, and the 2020 George Floyd protests—those deployments operated under different authorities and left the MPD under local command. Legal analysts and major outlets say Trump’s 2025 order is the first documented use of Section 740 to remove the city’s elected leadership from operational control of its police force.
The move has triggered sharp political debate. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton condemned the action as an affront to home rule, warning it undermines the District’s democratic governance. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), however, has proposed ending D.C.’s home rule entirely and placing the District under permanent federal authority.
The executive order is set to run for the full 30-day maximum allowed without new legislation. Whether it will be extended, challenged in court, or allowed to expire remains uncertain. For now, the operation continues—marking one of the most significant assertions of presidential authority over local law enforcement in the city’s modern history.
