August 15, 2025
Trump federalizes DC police, bypassing local government
Democracy dies in the capital as federal force replaces local control
🛡️National Security📜Constitutional Law🏙️Local Issues
Trump deployed 800 National Guard troops to DC on August 11, 2025, and federalized the Metropolitan Police Department under Attorney General 
Pam Bondi using Section 740 of the DC Home Rule Act of 1973.
The takeover occurred despite DC violent crime dropping 26% in 2025 and hitting a 30-year low in 2024, according to Justice Department data, undermining claims of a public safety emergency.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Guard units were formally mobilized Monday morning and would flow into Washington streets throughout the week under executive order authority.
Trump invoked emergency powers claiming DC suffered from 'crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor,' declaring 'liberation day' while flanked by Interior Secretary Burgum, AG Bondi, and FBI Director Patel.
The Posse Comitatus Act historically prevents military forces from acting as domestic police, but Trump bypassed these constitutional limits through emergency declarations and federal takeover authority.
Seven hundred thousand DC residents lost local democratic control over policing as federal appointees replaced elected officials' authority over law enforcement decisions and resource allocation.
🛡️National Security📜Constitutional Law🏙️Local Issues
Test Your Knowledge
9
Q1
Who did Attorney General Pam Bondi name as D.C.'s "emergency police commissioner"?
Q2
Did violent crime in Washington, D.C. reach historic highs when President Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department and deploy National Guard troops on August 11, 2025?
Q3
How much has violent crime changed in Washington D.C. in 2025?
Q4
Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the U.S. Constitution (Ratified 1789), which body holds exclusive legislative jurisdiction over the District of Columbia?
Q5
On August 11, 2025, which military unit did President Donald Trump deploy to support the federalized Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.?
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Start QuizPeople, bills, and sources
Donald Trump
President
Pam Bondi
Attorney General
Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary
Doug Burgum
Interior Secretary
Kash Patel
FBI Director