The image shows a formal document from the Council of the District of Columbia, addressing a response to a presidential announcement regarding local law enforcement and public safety. The mood is serious and authoritative, focusing on community safety and local governance.
Text in image: COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
CONTACT:
RELEASE:
Lindsey Walton
lwalton@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.
Public safety is built on trust, consistent enforcement, and community-based strategies. We must ensure that in our pursuit of safety, we do not create an atmosphere of surveillance, intimidation or unequal treatment under the law.
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
