Washington, DC [US], August 12 (ANI): President Donald Trump announced that he is placing Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploying the National Guard to the city, a move he said aims to restore order in the nation’s capital, CNN reported.
During a White House briefing, Trump stated, “I’m officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act … and placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.”
Section 740 of the Home Rule Act allows the president to assume control of the city’s police department for 48 hours during emergencies. Trump said his decision comes because “something’s out of control, but we’re going to put it in control very quickly, like we did on the southern border.”
The president also announced that National Guard troops would assist local law enforcement. “I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC, and they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly,” he said.
According to CNN, the 1973 Home Rule Act permits the president to extend control of the city’s police department beyond 48 hours if he notifies congressional committee leaders overseeing DC matters. Any extension beyond 30 days requires legislative approval.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized the move, calling it “unsettling” and an “overreach of presidential powers.” She argued, “You don’t deploy the armed forces because of people’s feelings. That is just inappropriate. If the statistics say that crime is down, then why would you do that? Because people feel afraid.”
Bass added, “I don’t think you just shove the statistics in folks, but you do other things to make them feel safe. You don’t use the military to help people feel better.”
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