Now that the federal law enforcement surge in D.C. has come to an end, many don’t believe there will be a sudden disappearance of police and National Guard.
Now that the federal law enforcement surge in D.C. has come to an end, many don’t believe there will be a sudden disappearance of police and National Guard. However, one Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner said he’s heard of fewer interactions with residents.
“It’s not fully over, but I think there is a decrease in the number of instances I’m hearing about,” said Jeremy Sherman, who represents ANC single-member district 1A04 in Columbia Heights.
But he added, “There are neighbors who are still afraid and scared and so I think this is a rebuilding time.”
Sherman’s colleague in 1A06, Anthony Thomas-Davis, agreed there were lessons learned during the surge.
“I think the surge exposed some gaps in our system that require some level of attention,” Thomas-Davis said. “That was largely around public safety and how our officers are deployed in certain manners across the neighborhoods … and largely how our public spaces are being maintained to either discourage crime or to incentivize public space activation in a way that may also deter crime.”
Thomas-Davis said while D.C. residents, for the most part, did not want the law enforcement surge, as evidenced by the massive protests held over the past month, he does think lessons can be taken from it.
“I hope as we pivot from the emergency, a lot of residents come together to push District government to address these issues,” Thomas-Davis said, adding that it was his hope D.C. can continue to develop in a way that would not give the Trump administration “an excuse” to impose another emergency.
“We want to see MPD get back to community policing and not infringing upon neighbors’ rights and building positive relationships,” Sherman said. “On the positive side, a lot of neighbors have come together. … There are a lot of WhatsApp and Signal groups that have formed over the past month, and those continue to be places for neighbors to connect and support each other.”
Sherman and Thomas-Davis represent areas in Columbia Heights with a large Hispanic population and the location of several interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. They said they expect some of those interactions to continue.
Sherman said he is hoping the city will come together now and support their neighbors and local businesses.
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In the Anacostia neighborhood, the crime that President Donald Trump has mobilized federal law enforcement to address is something residents would like to see more resources dedicated to. But it’s complicated.
DC Federal Intervention Members of the South Carolina National Guard patrol with the Lincoln Monument in the background, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib
DC Federal Intervention Demonstrators protest against President Donald Trump’s deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington during a march on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Federal Intervention One Neighborhood Doors are open to NAM’s Market, in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Fields)
AP Photo/Gary Fields
Federal Intervention One Neighborhood Norm Nixon, an associate pastor at Union Temple Baptist Church, poses for a photo in the sanctuary during an Aug. 23, 2025 seniors’ party hosted at the church in Washington. (AP Photo/Gary Fields)
AP Photo/Gary Fields
Federal Intervention One Neighborhood The Border Patrol pulls out of the metro station in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, Aug. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Fields)
AP Photo/Gary Fields
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a swath of the nation’s capital that sits across the tracks, and the river, residents can see the Washington Monument, the Waldorf Astoria — formerly the Trump Hotel — and the U.S. Capitol dome.
What the people of Anacostia cannot see are the National Guard units patrolling those areas. And they don’t see them patrolling on this side of the Anacostia River, either.
In this storied region of Washington, home to Frederick Douglass, the crime that President Donald Trump has mobilized federal law enforcement to address is something residents would like to see more resources dedicated to. But it’s complicated.
“We do need protection here,” said Mable Carter, 82. “I have to come down on the bus. It’s horrifying.”
There might be military units patrolling Union Station and public spaces where tourists often come, she said, but “none of them over here. They are armed — on the Mall. Ain’t nobody doing nothing on the Mall. It’s for show.”
Carter wants to see more police in this area — the city’s own police, under the direction of Chief Pamela Smith. “I’d rather see them give her a chance. She has the structure in place.”
The Pentagon, when asked if there were plans to deploy the National Guard to higher crime areas like Anacostia and who determines that, sent a list of stations where the military units were present as of late last month. None of those deployments included stations east of the Anacostia River.
In response to a question of whether those deployments had been extended, or whether there were plans to do so White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said that federal law enforcement members have been working the wards east of the river, including involvement in the arrests of several suspects wanted for violent crimes, including a first-degree murder warrant.
“As we have said since the beginning of the operation, National Guard troops are not making arrests at this time, but federal law enforcement officers will continue getting criminals off the streets and making the communities safer,” Rogers said.
A neighborhood caught in the middle
Over the course of two weekends east of the river, in conversations with groups and individuals, including a senior’s gathering at Union Temple Baptist Church, a theme emerged.
Like Carter, people would like more law enforcement resources, but they distrust the motives behind the surge and how it has usurped the authority of the mayor and local officers. And while they acknowledge crime is more serious here than most other areas of the district, it is nowhere near the levels of three decades ago, when the D.C. National Guard worked with the Metropolitan Police to address the violence.
This year’s homicides in the district, as of Friday, were at 104, a 17% decrease from 126 as of Sept. 5 last year. But, more than 60% of them are in the two wards that are almost exclusively east of the Anacostia River, including 38 in Ward 8, according to the Metropolitan Police Department crime mapping tool. That proportion is about the same as it was in 2024 when there were 187 homicides citywide for the year. One of the most notable murders was a double homicide that left two teens lying dead on the street and a third man wounded.
“I just called the police the other night,” said Henny, 42, who owns NAM’s Market.
He said a group of teenagers attempted to rob his store after casing it throughout the day. He called police and said they asked him if they were armed. “I didn’t see a weapon,” he said, adding that no patrol officers responded.
The store owner said he has been here about 10 years and been victimized multiple times but thinks it is getting worse now. He does not give his last name out of fear.
“What worries me is to make sure they’re not coming back,” he said. “There are a lot of things going on.” Asked if he feels safe he said, “Absolutely not.”
He has pepper spray but has been told by authorities not to use it, he said. When he heard of the federal law enforcement and National Guard arrival, “To be honest, I said that’s good — but that’s not over here. It’s getting worse. The city says crime is down but I don’t see it.”
‘The rampage with guns is nothing new’
A block away, Rosie Hyde’s perspective is different. The ashes of one of the 75-year-old widow’s sons are spread around her property. Samuel Johnson was killed about three miles away on April 20, 1991. The case is still open.
Hyde, a retired probation officer for the city, said her son died during that epidemic of gun violence. “That was 35 years ago,” she said. “That tells you the rampage with guns is nothing new.”
Homicides topped 400 annually in 1989 and stayed there through 1996, according to the district’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Aggravated assaults were also at record totals.
Hyde believes Trump is after the optics in areas where he will get attention — at the train station, on the Mall, in areas with a concentration of tourists. “They haven’t been over here like that,” she said.
The majestic home of Frederick Douglass is here, offering a panoramic view of other parts of the city west of the river. Farther east is the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum. The plaque outside says as much about this moment as it does about history: The museum, it says, “aspires to illuminate and share the untold and often overlooked stories of people furthest from opportunity in the Greater Washington, D.C. region.”
Federal agents are in this area working with local authorities, including FBI agents and Border Patrol, as well as Metro Transit Authority police. Along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Anacostia, new buildings mix with older ones and small groups of people mill about, drinking from bottles and with the occasional smell of marijuana. But it is relatively quiet.
At one point, a large group of National Guard members climbs out of a van at the Anacostia Metro station, but they catch the train heading west back beneath the river. While troops are stationed at 18 stops, the last one on the green line is the Navy Yard-Ballpark station, the final one west of the river.
Guard presence has precedent in this neighborhood
There was a time when the Guard was here — or, more precisely, above it. During the high crime years, the D.C. National Guard worked with District police; officers flew aboard the Guard’s helicopters directing patrol units to crime scenes.
Norm Nixon, an associate pastor at Union Temple Baptist Church, said there are federal agents around, but their presence is not constant and no military uniforms are seen on the streets. He said local officers who try to push community policing — communicating with residents and acknowledging their concerns — will probably get blowback because of the federal presence.
He, like others, questions why Trump decided to federalize the city when violence is present virtually everywhere, including in rural areas where drugs and economic hardships have created fertile ground for lawlessness.
“The president needs to have these initiatives to make it seem like something is happening, almost like he’s got to make news,” Nixon said, adding that he is also concerned about the focus on rousting the homeless population. “What happened to those people? Are they receiving services?”
Vernon Hancock, a church elder and trustee attending a senior’s day party, said he believes Trumps’ actions are a test. “Washington, D.C., is easy because it is federal and he has the authority to do what he’s doing,” Hancock said. “It is a federal city so he can just take over. But he wants to take this to other cities and spread this.”
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Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.
Thousands packed Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, on Saturday to take part in the “We Are All DC” march in the District.
Thousands packed Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, on Saturday to take part in the “We Are All DC” march in the District.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
A “Free DC” sign and a picture of Sean Charles Dunn, who was filmed throwing a foot-long sandwich at a federal law enforcement agent.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
A demonstrator holding a “Free DC” sign during a march on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
An umbrella with signs saying, “Free DC,” “No Racial Profiling,” “No Kings, No Dictators,” “No Misuse of Military” and “No Masked Thugs.”
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
A protester behind a “No ICE. ICE Baby” sign.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
The march featured unions, community and faith groups and people of all ages.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
Protesters in front of sign saying, “No Martial Law” and “DC Statehood Now.”
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
It wasn’t just Washingtonians or even those around the D.C. area that made up the estimated 5,000 protesters that took part in the march.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
Along with the chants, speeches and dancing, the protesters took pictures, held signs and even wore certain shirts to get their message across.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
A protester dressed in a Helldivers Cosplay Armor Costume with a sign saying, “Fascism Belongs in Fiction.”
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
Thousands packed Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, on Saturday to take part in the “We Are All DC” march in the District.
It featured unions, community and faith groups and people of all ages from an 83-year-old woman named Anne Morrison, who carried her cane, to 10-year-old Henry, who carried an inflatable sub sandwich.
The 5th grader’s father, Philippe said with his tongue firmly in his cheek, that the inflatable was the new symbol of democracy.
The turnout impressed Philippe, who said he brought his boys to the march to show them they had the power to make change.
“It feels like we’re all hiding behind our screens, and we don’t know if other people care. And it’s good to see it in real life, people care,” said Philippe.
At 83, Morrison, who moved to D.C. in 1972, was decades older than most of the other protesters, but she said there was no place she would rather be.
The administration should not be invading, not just D.C., but doing everything else that it is doing to undermine democracy,” said Morrison.
Along with the chants, speeches and dancing, the protesters took pictures, held signs and even wore certain shirts to get their message across.
“My shirt says, be a good person,” said Tom Bridge. “I think that that’s something we oftentimes need to be reminded of in the era of dirty politics from the Trump administration.”
While Bridge has called the District home for 15 years, another person at the rally named Suji told WTOP that 50 years ago she moved to Washington to attend Howard Law School.
“D.C. has never ruled itself. It’s always been a colony, said Suji. “It’s just gotten worse since Trump has gotten into office and brought in, you know, the troops and militarized the police.”
It’s not just Washingtonians or even those around the D.C. area that made up the estimated 5,000 protesters that took part in the march, some like Logan Smith felt like it was time to make their voices heard.
The Constitution is being shredded apart and stepped upon,” said Smith. “Our friends from D.C., put the call out. So we answered.”
Smith, who served in the U.S. Navy drove six hours from Massachusetts to be a part of the march.
“Veterans are being treated like absolute garbage. Our health care is being taken, and our rights are being threatened. It’s not what I signed up for. I took an oath to the Constitution in this country,” said Smith.
Another member of the U.S. Navy marching was Jaime Contreras, executive vice president of the D.C.-area leading labor union SEIU. She was joined by fellow members who he said come from 60 different countries and speak 25 different languages.
“Our members are the people who maintain and secure all the commercial office buildings in the area. They’re security officers. They’re commercial cleaners, they also work at the airports, said Contreras.
At the age of 13, Contreras was brought to the U.S. by his parents who left El Salvador during the civil war. Contreras said it’s unbelievable that Ice agents are abducting people who are just going to work, which leaves children crying at home without their dad or their mom.
“I’m a citizen, and I served in the United States military, and it drives me crazy to see our uniform servicemen and women who I know are probably wondering, What the hell am I doing here?”, said Contreras.
As Cortereras was about to join his members on the march he said, this is not what we call the American dream. This is a nightmare for people.
“You got like servicemen and women accompanying their parents to immigration hearings because they don’t want them to be abducted. Let’s not confuse patriotism with racism,” said Contreras.
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A federal grand jury has refused to indict an Indiana woman accused of threatening to kill President Donald Trump, another sign of a growing backlash against Trump’s law enforcement crackdown in the nation’s capital.
FILE – U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a news conference, Aug. 12, 2025, at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
FILE – U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a news conference, Aug. 12, 2025, at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal grand jury has refused to indict an Indiana woman accused of threatening to kill President Donald Trump, another sign of a growing backlash against Trump’s law enforcement crackdown in the nation’s capital.
Nathalie Rose Jones was arrested on Aug. 16 in Washington, D.C., on charges that she made death threats against Trump on social media and during an interview with Secret Service agents.
But a grand jury composed of Washington residents refused to indict her based on evidence presented by Justice Department prosecutors, according to her attorney, assistant federal public defender Mary Manning Petras.
“Given that finding, the weight of the evidence is weak,” Petras wrote in a court filing. “The government may intend to try again to obtain an indictment, but the evidence has not changed and no indictment is likely.”
It is extraordinarily rare for a grand jury to refuse to return an indictment, but that has happened in other cases prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office since Trump ordered a surge in patrols by federal agents and troops in the District of Columbia.
A grand jury refused to indict a government attorney who was facing a felony assault charge for throwing a “sub-style” sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent — a confrontation captured on a viral video.
Three grand juries voted separately against indicting a woman accused of assaulting an FBI agent outside the city’s jail in July, where she was recording video of the transfer of inmates into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
A grand jury also rejected an indictment against a man who was arrested on an assault charge by a U.S. Park Police officer with the assistance of National Guard members.
Grand jury proceedings are secret, so the reasons for their decisions don’t become public. But the string of rebukes has fueled speculation that residents serving on grand juries are using their votes to protest against the White House’s surge.
“Grand juries, judges, we will not simply go along with the flow,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said during a hearing last week for a surge-related criminal case.
A spokesperson for Pirro’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Pirro posted a comment on Jones’ case two days after her arrest.
“Threatening the life of the President is one of the most serious crimes and one that will be met with swift and unwavering prosecution. Make no mistake — justice will be served,” Pirro wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Prosecutors said Jones, 50, of Lafayette, Indiana, posted a Aug. 6 message on Facebook that she was “willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea.” When Secret Service agents questioned her on Aug. 15, Jones said she hoped to peacefully remove Trump from office but “will kill him out at the compound if I have to,” according to prosecutors. Jones was arrested a day later in Washington, where she joined a protest near the White House.
Petras said Jones repeatedly told Secret Service agents that she had no intent to harm anyone, didn’t own any weapons and went to Washington to peacefully protest.
D.C. neighbors came out of homes. Some hurled insults at the police, telling them to leave — or worse. Dozens joined in a chant: “Shame on you.”
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DC Mayor Muriel Bowser remarks on masked agents, federal management of Union Station
WASHINGTON (AP) — The street, normally quiet, was abuzz. The block lit up with flashing police cruisers and officers in tactical vests. Some had covered their faces. Neighbors came out of homes. Some hurled insults at the police, telling them to leave — or worse. Dozens joined in a chant: “Shame on you.”
Aaron Goldstein approached two officers. “Can you tell me why you couldn’t do this at 10:30 or 9:30, and why you had to terrorize the children in our neighborhood?” the man asked the officers as they turned their gazes away from him. Both wore dark sunglasses against the morning sun.
They said nothing.
The arrest shattered the routine of the neighborhood around Bancroft Elementary School, a public school where more than 60% of students are Latino. It came on the third day of a new school year, and immigration fears had already left the neighborhood on edge. Groups of residents had started escorting students to school from two nearby apartment complexes.
It was just another morning in Washington, D.C., in Summer 2025 — the summer of President Donald Trump’s federal law-enforcement intervention in the nation’s capital.
A confrontation that was one among many
Some episodes with law enforcement in the District unfold calmly. During others, nothing happens at all. But the boil-over Wednesday morning was one among many that have erupted across the city since Trump’s police takeover, offering a glimpse into daily life in a city where emotions have been pulled taut. Sightings of police activity spread quickly, attracting residents who say the federal infusion is unwelcome.
Families and children had been making their way toward a bilingual elementary school in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood when federal and local police officers descended on an apartment building blocks from the school. Neighbors had been on high alert amid fears of increased immigration enforcement.
Now officers were flooding the street, some in plainclothes and face coverings. Some carried rifles or riot shields. Neighbors gathered outside and began yelling at the police to leave. Blocks away, as word spread, an assistant principal waiting to greet students sprinted to the scene.
In an interview, Goldstein, the Mount Pleasant resident, said it felt like a violation of the neighborhood, which he described as a “peaceful mix of white professionals and migrant neighbors, with a lot of love in it.” Moments after he arrived at the scene, Goldstein said he saw a woman with two schoolgirls squeeze through a cluster of armed officers at an entrance to the apartment building.
“People are on Signal chats and they’re absolutely terrified, and everyone is following this,” said Goldstein, 55, who had just dropped off his third-grade daughter at Bancroft. “It’s distressful. We feel invaded, and it’s really terrible.”
The standoff continued after police arrested a man who they said is accused of drug and firearm crimes. Dozens of residents trailed officers down a side street and continued the jeers. “Quit your jobs.” “Nobody wants you here.” “You’re ruining the country.”
Asked about the episode later at a news conference, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said the law enforcement action attracted a “significant number of protesters” but “we were able to maintain calm.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser added, “I know there’s a lot of anxiety in the District.”
One officer, in the middle of it all, tries to talk
The conflict was punctuated by a remarkably candid conversation led by a Metropolitan Police Department sergeant who took questions from neighbors in what he described as “not an official press conference.”
“This is just me talking to community members,” Sgt. Michael Millsaps said, leaning back against the rear bumper of a cruiser.
Millsaps said the city’s police department was carrying out a planned arrest of a “suspected drug dealer” with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The suspect was taken into custody and a search of his apartment uncovered narcotics and an illegal firearm, Millsaps said.
“The immigration folks were parked over there to get y’all to leave us alone,” he said. ICE officials did not immediately comment.
Residents told Millsaps that their trust in the city’s police had been broken. They said they felt less safe amid Trump’s crackdown. Millsaps said he was sorry to hear it. “I hear your frustrations. My job is to take it.”
Still, he described a different response from residents east of the Anacostia River, in some of the city’s highest crime areas. “I go on the other side of the river now, it’s the opposite. People come outside and thank us,” he said.
Mount Pleasant resident Nancy Petrovic was among those yelling at city and ATF officers after the arrest on Wednesday morning. Petrovic, a lifelong resident of the area, rushed out of her home when she heard yelling shortly after 8 a.m. She counted at least 10 police cars lined up across the block.
“Kids are going to school — they’re walking to school — and it’s frightening to them and their parents,” said Petrovic, who said the street is usually quiet and has no need for more police. “We want them to go away.”
Asked about the timing of the arrest, Millsaps said it was a planned operation similar to countless others.
“I’ve been doing this for 14 years, serving these warrants at the same time of day,” he said. “The only difference is you’ve got a big crowd here, which added even more police presence. But this was just a normal police operation.”
___
Associated Press journalist Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.
Trump District of Columbia Armed members of the West Virginia National Guard patrol around the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.
DC Federal Intervention Residents from the Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Washington out in the street as Federal, and local law enforcement officer arrive to make arrest at a nearby apartment building, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Collin Binkley)
AP Photo/Collin Binkley
DC Federal Intervention Officers from the Washington Metro Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are seen in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Washington as arrests are made at a nearby apartment building, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Collin Binkley)
AP Photo/Collin Binkley
DC Federal Intervention Members of the West Virginia National Guard at the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
About 100 people crammed the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza in Northwest D.C. on Friday afternoon, calling for unity against the federal surge by President Donald Trump.
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Faith leaders call for unity amid DC’s federal surge
About 100 people crammed the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza in Northwest D.C. on Friday afternoon, calling for unity against the federal surge by President Donald Trump.
The “Multi-Faith Prayer Vigil for Healing and Justice” event brought together religious leaders from around the region to speak on their disapproval of the Trump administration’s recent actions in D.C., including the growing number of law enforcement officials and the displacement of the city’s homeless population.
“The power that is animated by hate can never, never, ever triumph over a power that is built with love,” said Rabbi Aaron Alexander, of Adas Israel Congregation.
During the prayer vigil, attendees brought signs denouncing the Trump administration’s actions and asked for the president to end his actions. Federal authorities have set up checkpoints around the city, sometimes asking people for their immigration status and detaining them.
DC residents need to fight back
Religious leaders called on residents to fight back against intimidating actions.
“But it’s going to take far more than protests to reclaim the beauty of this place,” Alexander said.
Pastor Donna Claycomb Sokol, of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, spoke out against the removal of the city’s homeless population, stating their security was set aside “all in the name of beauty.”
Joani Horchler traveled from Cheverly, Maryland, to be part of the vigil, carrying a sign attacking Trump’s claim that the surge is designed to improve the District’s crime levels: “If you cared about crime, you wouldn’t have attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.”
“Now, he is going to take over D.C., and it’s not right,” she said.
D.C.’s shadow representative Oye Owolewa told WTOP he was proud to see the number of people in the crowd, which led him to interrupt the proceedings to get them off the road and into the plaza. He added that the amount of minority faces voicing support for D.C. statehood and against Trump’s actions is a strong contrast to the description of “elderly white hippies” White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called D.C. protesters.
“It was really good to see a crowd of people who looked like me but are united on a common mission, which is controlling our own destiny,” Owolewa said.
The crowd was encouraged to stay in contact with their faith-based communities for additional events in the future. Priscilla Soto said she hopes events like the vigil could unite more people than those who don’t like Trump.
“I would like to reach out to all those people who are supporting him and hope that they come to the point that enough is enough,” she said.
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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, left, and Attorney General Pam Bondi look on.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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President Donald Trump holds up a chart in front of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks as Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith, left, and D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, listen during a news conference on President Donald Trump’s plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National guard troops to Washington, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith listens as Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference on President Donald Trump’s plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National guard troops to Washington, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
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Protesters demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s planned use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington, during a rally in front of the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Protesters demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s planned use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington at a rally in Dupont Circle, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Protesters demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s planned use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington at a rally in Dupont Circle, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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In this image provided by the U.S. Army National Guard, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll speaks to soldiers and airmen from the District of Columbia National Guard at the D.C. National Guard Armory in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
(Sgt. 1st Class Christy L. Sherman/U.S. Army National Guard via AP)
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Free DC activists carry signs as they gather outside Washington Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Washington, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Federal law enforcement officers patrol The Wharf, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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A member of the District of Columbia National Guard puts up signs for 100% ID checks outside the District of Columbia National Guard Headquarters, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Protesters hold signs as a volunteer, rear, helps the homeless move their things at a tent encampment, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Washington.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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An activists holds a sign during a protest against President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of policing of the District of Columbia, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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National Guard personnel keep watch as travelers arrive at the entrance to Union Station near the Capitol, in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Activists carrying signs pass the Washington Monument as they march to the White House to protest President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of policing of the District of Columbia, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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District of Columbia National Guard soldiers patrol inside Union Station, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
District of Columbia National Guard soldiers patrol inside Union Station, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Members of the District of Columbia National Guard patrol along the National Mall, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Members of the District Of Columbia National Guard patrol in front of The Bullpen, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, right, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, center, arrive to greet members of the National Guard, at Union Station in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.
(Al Drago/Pool via AP)
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Hannah Hessel, Izzy, Joan and Andrew Ratner bang pots and pans on their porch in protest of President Donald Trump’s use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro waits for President Donald Trump to arrive to speak with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is responding to criticisms about crime data in the city and reacting to a plan for National Guard members to start carrying weapons.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is responding to criticisms about crime data in the city and reacting to a plan for National Guard members to start carrying weapons.
Speaking exclusively to WTOP at a back-to-school event at the RFK Campus, Bowser said city leaders have been reporting data that the Justice Department confirms, adding, “We’re going to keep doing the same things that we do.”
Bowser’s comments came at the end of the second full week of President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in the city. On Friday afternoon, Trump said the extra law enforcement presence is working and that there were no murders in D.C. in the last week.
“I’m tired of listening to these people say how safe it was before we got here,” Trump said from the Oval Office on Friday. “It was unsafe. It was horrible. And Mayor Bowser better get her act straight or she won’t be mayor very long because we’ll take it over with the federal government, run it like it’s supposed to be run.”
When asked about the criticism of the city’s grasp on crime and the law enforcement surge, Bowser said her “position is the same. I know a bob and weave when I hear one.”
While D.C. leaders maintain that crime is at a 30-year low, Trump said the city was “extremely unsafe, and now it’s extremely safe. We had virtually no crime. The number was down 87% and I’m trying to figure out where was the 13% because I don’t think it existed.”
Meanwhile, National Guard troops tasked with roaming D.C. streets as part of the increased presence will start carrying weapons, a reversal in initial policy. Bowser said the National Guard shouldn’t be used for policing, and “I think there are some legal questions that are going to be raised by that.”
Speaking broadly about issues with the law enforcement surge, Bowser said there are “many concerns about the intrusion of our autonomy, but the characterization of our beautiful city as a dirty city is preposterous.”
Trump said Friday he’s planning to ask Congress for $2 billion to carry out his plans to make improvements across the city.
“We have the No. 1 park system in the United States, that includes our federal parks and our local parks,” Bowser said. “We welcome the president getting more money to support federal parks. That should have been happening all along, and so if he’s able to deliver that for Washington, D.C., that’s a great thing.”
Bowser confirmed a Washington Post report that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are joining D.C. police officers on traffic stops involving mopeds, saying it’s “not new. We’ve been talking about that for two weeks.”
When asked about an image of Bowser and D.C. police Chief Pamela Smith greeting White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Bowser said it was nothing more than a handshake.
“I talked to him, but I wouldn’t call it a meeting. And if it was, I wouldn’t be talking about it right now,” she added.
She declined to share details of the conversation, instead saying, “We always talk with the administration about shared priorities.”
Separately, as D.C. students prepare to return to the classroom Monday, Bowser said she’s “hearing from a lot of parents that the same (supplies) list is about 50% more expensive. These tariffs are starting to hit American families.”
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Federal authorities have used checkpoints around the nation’s capital to screen vehicles, sometimes asking people for their immigration status after stopping them, as President Donald Trump’s crackdown reaches the two-week mark in Washington.
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Trump visits National Guard troops in DC, vows city will be ‘maxed out in terms of beauty’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities have set up checkpoints around the nation’s capital, sometimes asking people for their immigration status and detaining them, as President Donald Trump’s crackdown ensnares more residents each day.
Trump claimed that a crime crisis required his Republican administration’s intervention in the Democratic-led city this month, brushing aside statistics that showed the problem was already waning. However, immigration enforcement appears to be a priority, as more than a third of people arrested in the last two weeks were in the country illegally, according to the White House.
Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard soldiers have surged into Washington, leaving some residents on edge and creating tense confrontations in the streets.
A day care center was partially closed Thursday when staff became afraid to go to work because they heard about federal agents nearby. An administrator asked parents to keep their children at home if possible.
Other day cares have stopped taking kids on daily walks because of fears about encountering law enforcement.
Trump visits cops and troops
The White House said there have been 630 arrests, including 251 people who are in the country illegally, since Aug. 7, when Trump began surging federal agents into the city. Trump has been ratcheting up the pressure since then, seizing control of the D.C. police department on Aug. 11 and deploying more National Guard troops, mostly from Republican-led states.
On Thursday evening, Trump visited with officers and troops at a U.S. Park Police facility in the latest show of force from the White House.
“We’re not playing games,” he said.
Trump suggested that operations in the city could be drawn out and serve as a model for others around the country.
“We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while,” he said.
Soldiers have been largely stationed in downtown areas, such as monuments on the National Mall and transit stations. However, federal agents are operating more widely through the city. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged the proliferation of traffic checkpoints Thursday.
“The surge of federal officers is allowing for different types of deployments, more frequent types of deployments, like checkpoints,” Bowser said.
A crowd of people gathered outside a municipal office building to protest Trump’s crackdown, waving signs and cheering speakers who denounced the president’s plans. Their numbers swelled into the hundreds until police closed off nearby streets. When the rally ended, many remained to dance and listen to music.
In other neighborhoods Thursday evening, residents banged pots and pans on rooftops, front steps and street corners.
Not a normal traffic stop
On Thursday morning, as Martin Romero rode through Washington’s Rock Creek Park on his way to a construction job in Virginia, he saw police on the road up ahead. He figured it was a normal traffic stop, but it wasn’t.
Romero, 41, said U.S. Park Police were telling pickup trucks with company logos to pull over, reminding them that commercial vehicles weren’t allowed on park roads. They checked for licenses and insurance information, and then U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came over.
Romero said there were two agents on one side of his truck and three on the other. He started to get nervous as the agents asked where they were from and whether they were in the country illegally.
“We just came here to work,” Romero said afterwards. “We aren’t doing anything bad.”
Two people in his truck were detained and the agents didn’t give a reason, he said. He also saw three other people taken from other vehicles.
“I feel really worried because they took two of our guys,” he said. “They wouldn’t say where they’re taking them or if they’ll be able to come back.”
Romero said he called his boss, who told him to just head home. They wouldn’t be working today.
Enrique Martinez, a supervisor at the construction company, came to the scene afterwards. He pondered whether to call families of the detained men.
“This has never happened to our company before,” Martinez said. “I’m not really sure what to do.”
Checkpoints are legal, to a point
The Supreme Court has upheld the use of law enforcement and government checkpoints for specific purposes, such as policing the border and identifying suspected drunk drivers.
But there are restrictions on that authority, especially when it comes to general crime control. Jeffrey Bellin, a former prosecutor in Washington and professor at Vanderbilt Law School who specializes in criminal law and procedures, said the Constitution doesn’t allow “the government to be constantly checking us and stopping to see if we’re up to any criminal activity.”
He said checkpoints for a legally justifiable purpose — like checking for driver’s licenses and registrations — cannot be used as “subterfuge” or a pretext for stops that would otherwise not be allowed. And though the court has affirmed the use of checkpoints at the border, and even some distance away from it, to ask drivers about immigration status, Bellin said it was unlikely the authority would extend to Washington.
Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at Georgia State College of Law, said the seemingly “arbitrary” and intrusive nature of the checkpoints in the capital could leave residents feeling aggrieved.
“Some of the things could be entirely constitutional and fine, but at the same time, the way that things are unfolding, people are suspicious — and I think for good reason,” he said.
Lilly Burchfield, 25, said she’s seen people in her neighborhood come out of their homes to yell at federal agents.
“It feels like we’re all coming together as a community and everyone that I’ve talked to has been outraged by what’s happening,” she said.
From Los Angeles to D.C.
There are few places in the country that have been unaffected by Trump’s deportation drive, but his push into D.C. is shaping into something more sustained, similar to what has unfolded in the Los Angeles area since early June.
In Los Angeles, immigration officers — working with the Border Patrol and other federal agencies — have been a near-daily presence at Home Depots, car washes and other highly visible locations.
In a demonstration of how enforcement has affected routines, the bishop of San Bernardino, California, formally excused parishioners of their weekly obligation to attend Mass after immigration agents detained people on two parish properties.
Immigration officials have been an unusually public presence, sending horse patrols to the city’s famed MacArthur Park and appearing outside California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s news conference last week on congressional redistricting. Authorities said an agent fired at a moving vehicle last week after the driver refused to roll down his window during an immigration stop.
The National Guard and Marines were previously in the city for weeks on an assignment to maintain order amid protests.
A federal judge blocked the administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops in Southern California but authorities have vowed to keep the pressure on.
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Ashraf Khalil, Matt Brown and Joey Cappelletti in Washington and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed reporting.
Trump District of Columbia Between a now empty pickup truck and what’s left of his work crew at right, Martin Romero, 41, of Glen Burnie, Md., talks to his boss on the phone after his work crew was stopped by Park Police during a traffic stop near Rock Creek Park, and two of the workers in their truck were taken away by ICE, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington. “I feel desperate for my co-workers, for their families,” says Romero, who also said he saw five workers taken at the stop. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Trump District of Columbia Martin Romero, 41, of Glen Burnie, Md., talks to the members of his work crew who are left after they were stopped by Park Police during a traffic stop near Rock Creek Park, and two of the workers in their truck were taken away by ICE, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington. “I feel desperate for my co-workers, for their families,” says Romero. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Trump District of Columbia A Washington Metropolitan Police Department special operations division officer directs traffic during a checkpoint on New York Avenue in northeast Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Trump District of Columbia Washington Metropolitan Police Department special operations division officers arrest a person during a traffic checkpoint on New York Avenue in northeast Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
APTOPIX Trump District of Columbia South Carolina National Guardsmen patrol at the base of the Washington Monument, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Trump District of Columbia Hannah Hessel, Izzy, Joan and Andrew Ratner bang pots and pans on their porch in protest of President Donald Trump’s use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Trump District of Columbia Officers from various federal agencies including Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Department of Homeland Security from the Boston Field Office, and U.S. Park Police prepare for patrols at the U.S. Park Police Rock Creek Station, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
DC Housing Program District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference at the opening of a new housing shelter for homeless adults, Thursday, August. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Trump District of Columbia President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Attorney General Pam Bondi listen. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
APTOPIX Trump District of Columbia President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Trump District of Columbia People protest with go-go music against President Donald Trump’s use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops along the U street corridor in northwest Washington Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Trump District of Columbia Nadine Seiler of Waldorf, Md., protests against President Donald Trump’s use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops along the U street corridor in northwest Washington Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited with National Guard troops in D.C.’s main train station, as protesters chanted “free D.C.” — the latest tense interlude from President Donald Trump’s crackdown in the nation’s capital.
Trump District of Columbia District of Columbia National Guard soldiers patrol on the National Mall, Thursday, August 14, 2025, in Washington. The U.S. Capitol is seen in the distance. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Trump District of Columbia Members of the District of Columbia National Guard patrol near the Washington Monument on the National Mall, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Trump District of Columbia Vice President JD Vance walks to meet with the National Guard at Union Station, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 in Washington. (Alexander Drago/Pool via AP)
Alexander Drago/Pool via AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bringing prominent White House support to the streets of Washington, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday visited with National Guard troops at the city’s main train station as protesters chanted “free D.C.” — the latest tense interlude from President Donald Trump’s crackdown in the nation’s capital.
“We brought some law and order back,” the vice president asserted.
“We appreciate everything you’re doing,” Vance said as he presented burgers to the troops. Citing the protesters whose shouts echoed through the station, Vance said “they appear to hate the idea that Americans can enjoy their communities.”
The appearance, which also included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, was a striking scene that illustrated the Republican administration’s intense focus on the situation in Washington and its willingness to promote an initiative that has polarized the Democratic-led city.
An estimated 1,900 troops are being deployed in D.C. More than half are coming from Republican-led states. Besides Union Station, they’ve mostly been spotted around downtown areas, including the National Mall and metro stops.
An early morning accident involved an armored vehicle
The intersection of life in the city and a military presence produced another striking scene early Wednesday when an armored vehicle collided with a civilian car less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol. One person was trapped inside the car after the accident and had to be extricated by emergency responders, according to D.C. fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo. The person was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. A video posted online showed the aftermath of the collision, with a tan-colored armored vehicle twice the height of the civilian car with a crushed side.
“You come to our city and this is what you do? Seriously?” a woman yelled at the troops in the video.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said more than 550 people have been arrested so far, and the U.S. Marshals are offering $500 rewards for information leading to additional arrests. “Together, we will make DC safe again!” Bondi wrote on social media.
City officials work to navigate the situation
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, trying to balance the constituency that elected her and the reality in front of her, acknowledged the changing situation in the city as she attended a back-to-school event with teachers and staff.
“This is not the same time, is it, that we experienced in opening school last year,” she said. Bowser said she would worry about the politics and told school employees that “your job is to love on the kids, teach them and make sure that they are prepared and to trust that I’m going to do the right thing for all of us.”
Despite the militarized backdrop, Bowser said it’s important that children “have joy when they approach this school year.” Public schools around Washington reconvene Monday for the fall semester.
The skewer-everyone cartoon TV show “ South Park,” which has leaned into near-real-time satire in recent years, this week made the federal crackdown fodder for a new episode. A 20-second promo released by Comedy Central depicts the character “Towelie” — a walking towel — riding in a bus past the U.S. Supreme Court building and White House, where armed troops are patrolling. A tank rolls by in front of the White House.
“This seems like a perfect place for a towel,” the character says upon disembarking the bus.
“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone recently signed a reported $1.5 billion, five-year deal with Paramount for new episodes and streaming rights to their series, which began its 27th season this summer.
The season premiere mocked the president’s body in a raunchy manner and depicted him sharing a bed with Satan.
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Associated Press writers David Bauder and Michelle Price contributed to this report.
The White House is pushing back against criticism that the federal takeover of D.C.’s police department and National Guard personnel is not focusing on the high-crime areas of D.C.
The White House is pushing back against criticism that the federal takeover of D.C.’s police department, along with the growing number of National Guard personnel, is not focusing enough on the high-crime areas of D.C.
Democratic members of Congress, as well as community activists, have accused President Donald Trump and his administration of using National Guard members as props for photo ops in heavily trafficked tourist areas.
They argue that federal law enforcement has not been placed east of the Anacostia River, where the highest concentration of violent crime occurs in the District, according to crime statistics maps.
“All of this is a total abuse of power. It’s a manufactured emergency,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said in a weekend interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday addressed criticism linked to the city’s crime hot spots.
“In fact, nearly half of all of the non-illegal alien arrests have occurred in Wards 7 and 8,” she said.
A White House official told WTOP that between Aug. 9 and Aug. 17, there had been a total of 212 non-immigration related arrests. Of those, 101 were in Wards 7 and 8.
Of those 101 arrests, 40 arrests were made in Ward 7 and 61 arrests in Ward 8. The greatest numbers were for gun-related and drug-related charges. Twenty-four of the arrests were for gun-related charges in Ward 8, along with 13 arrests for drug charges.
Crime was already trending downward in the crime hot spots
Residents in the two wards have complained for years about the high level of crime and many residents say they are glad the issue is being taken seriously across the city.
But there has also been skepticism about the latest crime-fighting efforts, since so much attention has focused on National Guard members and law enforcement in other parts of D.C.
In Ward 8, there were 99 murders in 2023. Last year, there were 66.
As of Tuesday, there had been 38 murders in Ward 8 this year. By comparison, there have been four murders in Ward 2, which includes the National Mall and Georgetown.
D.C. crime data shows that motor vehicle thefts in Ward 8 spiked in 2023 at 1,014. That figure dropped to 732 last year; and in 2025, there have been 443 so far.
However, those crime numbers have come under scrutiny. Earlier this year, a Metropolitan Police Department commander suspected of manipulating crime data was placed on paid administrative leave, NBC Washington reported. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether D.C. police officials falsified data to make crime rates appear lower than they are.
The White House has been releasing daily figures related to arrests made by federal authorities, and Leavitt said Tuesday that it will continue to do so.
A spokesman for the governor said he did not view enforcement of the law as a proper use of the National Guard. He said the outcome might be different if officials with the D.C. government were making a request related to an emergency situation.
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The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington, D.C., have falsified crime data, according to a person familiar with the probe who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss an open investigation.
FILE – Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks, accompanied by Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith, during a news conference on President Donald Trump’s plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops to Washington, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)(AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
FILE – Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks, accompanied by Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith, during a news conference on President Donald Trump’s plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops to Washington, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)(AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington, D.C., have falsified data to make crime rates appear lower than they are, according to two people familiar with the probe who weren’t authorized to publicly discuss an open investigation.
The investigation comes amid an escalating — and political — showdown between the Trump administration and the city over control of the police department. It wasn’t immediately clear what federal laws could have been violated by the possible manipulation of crime data.
President Donald Trump claimed that violent crime in Washington is getting worse as he ordered a federal takeover of the city’s police department, flooding the streets with hundreds of National Guard members. But he exaggerated or misstated many facts about public safety in Washington, where crime rates have fallen in recent years.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office declined to comment on the investigation. A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro’s office in Washington didn’t respond to emails seeking comment.
The New York Times was first to report on the investigation.
Earlier this year, a Metropolitan Police Department commander suspected of manipulating crime data was placed on paid administrative leave, NBC Washington reported. Bowser told the television station last Tuesday that the city’s police chief “had concerns about one commander, investigated all seven districts and verified that the concern was with one person.”
“So, we are completing that investigation and we don’t believe it implicates many cases,” the mayor added.
Former interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, who was Pirro’s predecessor and Trump’s first pick to lead the office, said Washington’s violent crime had decreased in the first 100 days since Trump returned to the White House in January. In an April 28 news release, Martin’s office said MPD data showed that violent crime had dropped by 25 percent since the start of 2025.
“We are proving that strong enforcement and smart policies can make our communities safer,” Martin said in the release.
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Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.
‘We’re going to be OK’: Howard U. students navigate DC with National Guard and security checkpoints
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‘We’re going to be OK’: Howard U. students navigate DC with National Guard and security checkpoints
A lot has changed in the nation’s capital since Howard University’s Class of 2025 received their diplomas.
As students start classes at the historically Black university this week, they will have to navigate the city with an extra police presence, National Guard patrols and security checkpoints due to President Donald Trump’s takeover of the D.C. police force.
Only 2% of the incoming students of Howard University are from D.C. and a lot of parents are concerned about the headlines they are seeing about the crime in the District and the extra law enforcement presence.
Howard University sent an email to students with tips on dealing with D.C.’s new reality.
WTOP spoke to Howard students about how they planned to navigate the city.
Freshman Amaya Lawrence, who’s from Tallahassee, Florida, was sent the email from university officials that advised all students to have their school IDs with them.
Lawrence admitted her parents were concerned, but said her message to them was, “We’re going to be OK.”
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President Donald Trump claimed that his recent takeover of the D.C. police has made residents feel safer, leading to a surge in restaurant visits. However, data contradicts this, showing a significant drop in reservations compared to last year.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that since his announcement to take over the D.C. police department, people are now more comfortable going to dinner in the District. WTOP is digging into the data that shows restaurant reservations are actually significantly down compared to this time last year.
“People that haven’t gone out to dinner in Washington, D.C. in two years, are going out to dinner, and the restaurants, the last two days, were busier than they’ve been in a long time,” Trump said Monday from the White House.
But according to the booking site OpenTable, reservations have plummeted since this time last year. The site showed that reservations on Saturday and Sunday were both down around 20% from last year.
Trump boasted the opposite, adding that he’s had people calling him saying, “Sir, I want to thank you. My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years, and Washington, D.C. is safe. And you did that in four days!”
Restaurant reservations in D.C. dropped 27% on Tuesday; 31% on Wednesday; 29% on Thursday; 25% on Friday; 20% on Saturday; and 22% on Sunday compared to last year’s reservations, according to OpenTable.
“I’m definitely concerned about it,” said Shawn Townsend, president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. “This is about supporting families who rely on these restaurants to pay their rent, to pay tuition, to send their kids to college. This is more about that, and I want to make it clear that our industry is resilient.”
Townsend told WTOP the number of restaurant diners are usually low this time of year, but these numbers are especially low. He encourages people to go out for D.C.’s annual Summer Restaurant Week, adding that crime this year has been down and the restaurants are ready for diners.
“The business community, we have all been working diligently with MPD on bringing crime down due to the surge in 2023. Is our city perfect? Absolutely not. However, we have made great strides. Crime is down. Our city is safer because of the work that’s been put in,” Townsend said.
He said they’re hopeful that Summer Restaurant Week will bring in business with a record 380 restaurants participating. It runs Aug. 18-24.
“If you want to send a message to the administration and to the country, support your local restaurants this week, and for the next couple of weeks, while we have this increased presence of federal agents in our city — that’s the strongest way to send a message,” he said.
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Joining forces from three other Republican-led states, the Mississippi National Guard will deploy 200 troops to Washington as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing federal policing and immigration overhaul in the nation’s capital.
Trump District of Columbia U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Services wait on a tow truck to take away a food truck on the National Mall, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Washington. The owner says his employees were asked for immigration status by ICE and then he was told that the truck’s tires were bad and it would have to be towed, though he insists it recently passed DC inspection. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Trump District of Columbia Activists with Free DC gather outside Washington Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Washington, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Trump District of Columbia District of Columbia Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Snowden, left, shows James Maseno of Grandal, Md., how to take a selfie next to an M-ATV infantry mobility vehicle, outside the Union Station in Washington, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joining forces from three other Republican-led states, the Mississippi National Guard will deploy 200 troops to Washington as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing federal policing and immigration overhaul in the nation’s capital.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement Monday that he has approved the deployment of approximately 200 Mississippi National Guard Soldiers to Washington, D.C.
“Crime is out of control there, and it’s clear something must be done to combat it,” Reeves said.
Mississippi joins three other states that have pledged to deploy hundreds of National Guard members to the nation’s capital to bolster the Republican administration’s operation aiming to transform policing in the Democratic-led city through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness.
West Virginia said it was deploying 300 to 400 troops, South Carolina pledged 200 and Ohio said it will send 150 in the coming days, deployments that built on top of President Donald Trump’s initial order that 800 National Guard troops deploy as part of the federal intervention.
Trump’s executive order that launched the federal operation declared a “crime emergency” in the District of Columbia and initiated a takeover Washington’s police department. The administration has ordered local police to cooperate with federal agents on immigration enforcement, orders that would contradict local laws prohibiting such collaboration.
“D.C. has been under siege from thugs and killers, but now, D.C. is back under Federal Control where it belongs,” Trump wrote on his social media website a day after issuing his order. “The White House is in charge. The Military and our Great Police will liberate this City, scrape away the filth, and make it safe, clean, habitable and beautiful once more!”
During a Monday news conference, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back on Trump’s characterization of the city and voiced skepticism about the administration’s intentions in flooding the capital with troops and federal agents.
“We don’t have any authority over the DC Guard or any other guards, but I think it makes the point that this is not about DC crime,” Bowser said of the administration and states deploying National Guard members onto the streets of the capital.
“The focus should be on violent crime,” Bowser continued. “Nobody is against focusing on driving down any level of violence. And so if this is really about immigration enforcement the administration should make that plain.”
National Guard members in the District of Columbia have been assisting law enforcement with tasks including crowd control and patrolling landmarks such as the National Mall and Union Station. Their role has been limited thus far, and it remains unclear why additional troops would be needed.
Federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service and other agencies have patrolled high traffic areas around the capital over the last week. ICE officers, who work under the Department of Homeland Security, have made arrests in neighborhoods across the city, dispersed some public gatherings and torn pro-immigrant signs, according to videos published by the administration.
The White House has touted various arrests that local police and federal agents have made across the city since Trump’s executive order. Federal agents have made 380 arrests in the week since the start of the operation and in some cases issued charges to detained people. The White House has touted the surge of agents on social media and posted pictures of people arrested by local and federal officers.
“Washington, DC is getting safer every night thanks to our law enforcement partners,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media. “Just this weekend, 137 arrests were made and 21 illegal firearms were seized. In total, there have been nearly 400 arrests—and we are not slowing down.”
Amid the crackdown, the administration has received criticism for the conduct of some federal agents, who in several high-profile incidents have arrested people while wearing masks that hide their identity and declined to identify themselves to media or members of the public when questioned.
Bowser said Monday that she had asked D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith to seek answers from the administration about the use of masked police.
“It’s very important to us that agents be identified,” Bowser said. “There’s no reason for a law enforcement official to be masked.”
Over the weekend in Washington, protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops fanning out in the city. Scores of protesters gathered in the city’s Dupont Circle on Saturday and marched to the White House.
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Associated Press writer Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed to this report.
