Instagram · Aug 11, 2025
in imageCOUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
CONTACT:
RELEASE:
Lindsey Walton
Iwalton@dccouncil.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE
Monday August 11, 2025
DC COUNCIL STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENTIAL
ANNOUNCEMENT
WASHINGTON, DC - This is a manufactured intrusion on local authority. Violent crime
in the District is at the lowest rates we've seen in 30 years. Federalizing the Metropolitan
Police Department is unwarranted because there is no Federal emergency. Further, the
National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The Guard's role
does not include investigating or solving crimes in the District. Calling out the National
Guard is an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.
strategies. We must ensure that in our pursuit of safety, we do not create an atmosphere of
сео о ое ноне на .
Public safety is built on trust, consistent enforcement, and community-based
Our local police department is the best in the country, and it is our police officers
who should be leading the efforts to keep our communities safe-not the National Guard.
The President was unable to cite any evidence that our MPD is not able to do the job. Let's
Our local government regularly partners with the federal government. The federal
government plays a role through the United States Attorney's Office prosecuting violent
crime, the Senate confirming judges to serve on our courts, the federal supervision agencies
to follow up with people who are released on parole, and Congress passing a budget fix so
that DC residents can spend their own tax dollars to pay our police and firefighters the
wages they deserve. Taking over our police department and deploying hundreds of National
Guard members is not the hard work of public safety - it is a show of force without impact.
It is our job to regularly look at our laws and ensure they are serving our residents'
interests. That's what we did in 2024 when the Council came together to pass Secure DC,
an omnibus with over 100 interventions to drive down crime. We did it again when the
Council in June 2025 passed Peace DC legislation that puts the city on a path to more
sustainable safety. And in the last two years where we have been laser focused on driving
down crime, we have decreased violent crime by nearly 50% of what it was, yielding the
lowest violent crime numbers our city has seen in 30 years.
xe ointe
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
CONTACT:
RELEASE:
Lindsey Walton
Iwalton@dccouncil.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE
Monday August 11, 2025
DC COUNCIL STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENTIAL
ANNOUNCEMENT
WASHINGTON, DC - This is a manufactured intrusion on local authority. Violent crime
in the District is at the lowest rates we've seen in 30 years. Federalizing the Metropolitan
Police Department is unwarranted because there is no Federal emergency. Further, the
National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The Guard's role
does not include investigating or solving crimes in the District. Calling out the National
Guard is an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.
strategies. We must ensure that in our pursuit of safety, we do not create an atmosphere of
сео о ое ноне на .
Public safety is built on trust, consistent enforcement, and community-based
Our local police department is the best in the country, and it is our police officers
who should be leading the efforts to keep our communities safe-not the National Guard.
The President was unable to cite any evidence that our MPD is not able to do the job. Let's
Our local government regularly partners with the federal government. The federal
government plays a role through the United States Attorney's Office prosecuting violent
crime, the Senate confirming judges to serve on our courts, the federal supervision agencies
to follow up with people who are released on parole, and Congress passing a budget fix so
that DC residents can spend their own tax dollars to pay our police and firefighters the
wages they deserve. Taking over our police department and deploying hundreds of National
Guard members is not the hard work of public safety - it is a show of force without impact.
It is our job to regularly look at our laws and ensure they are serving our residents'
interests. That's what we did in 2024 when the Council came together to pass Secure DC,
an omnibus with over 100 interventions to drive down crime. We did it again when the
Council in June 2025 passed Peace DC legislation that puts the city on a path to more
sustainable safety. And in the last two years where we have been laser focused on driving
down crime, we have decreased violent crime by nearly 50% of what it was, yielding the
lowest violent crime numbers our city has seen in 30 years.
xe ointe