On August 12 (US time), about 800 National Guard soldiers were deployed to the capital Washington D.C under the executive decree of President Donald Trump to deal with the crime situation.
Soldiers in military uniform entered the National Guard headquarters in Columbia Special Zone, near the eastern part of Capitol Palace, preparing to support law enforcement forces.
The transfer will end when he determines legal and order conditions have been restored, Trump said in a note. However, the force was informed to stay until September 25. A defense official said they will participate in crowd management, control surrounding areas, ensure security and provide communication support to police, mostly unarmed.
During the decree announcement, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth affirmed that people will see the National Guard flooded the streets of Washington, D.C. next week, along with the possibility of deploying more specialized units.
A day earlier, President Trump declared that the Capital Police were under federal control and cited the crime situation as "out of control", although official figures showed the rate of violent crimes at a 3-decade low.
President Trump's decree describes the criminal situation in Washington D.C as a serious threat to civil servants, residents and tourists, and disrupts the traffic and operations of the federal government. He emphasized that the stable operation of executive agencies, courts, diplomatic agencies and federal ministries requires an effective law enforcement mechanism to prevent sudden changes in violent crimes.
According to the decree, the level of the crisis has put Washington D.C. in the most violent area of the United States, with the highest rate of robberies and murders among major cities in 2024. Some criteria also classify the capital as the top 20% most dangerous city in the world. However, the Department of Public Security reported that violent crimes have decreased by 26% over the past year, while the total crime has decreased by 7%.
Mr. Terry Cole, Director of the Drug Exploitation Agency, assigned to lead the federal takeover of the Washington D.C. police, said that from the evening of August 12, the federal employees will coordinate directly with the Capital Police Department. In an interview, he said that people will see an increase in patrols in certain areas to arrest violent criminals.
