Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s takeover of the local police department, as well as his mobilization of the National Guard into the District, has significantly reduced crime — but has also destroyed community trust in law enforcement.
During the nearly 20 days federal law enforcement has patrolled D.C., carjackings are down 87% compared to this time last year, Bowser said.
“We know that when carjackings go down, when use of gun[s] goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel, and are, safer,” Bowser said. “So this surge has been important to us for that reason.”
What is not working, Bowser said, is “having masked ICE agents in the community,” which has created a lack of trust between residents and the increased number of officers.
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In regard to the 1,500 arrests being touted by the Department of Homeland Security, Bowser said the number referenced by the administration includes arrests made by both Metropolitan Police and federal officers.
As for the administration’s focus on ridding the capital of homeless encampments, Bowser said D.C.’s homeless population has plummeted in recent years.
The number of encampments reached a high point in 2023 with around 90 encampments — a number that fell to 74 encampments this summer, according to Bowser. Of the more than 5,000 documented homeless people across the District, according to the latest Point-in-Time Count, nearly 300 people were unsheltered in 2023 and 128 in July of this year, the mayor said.
“We have a relatively small encampment problem in D.C.; it, however, is highly visible,” Bowser said.
Bowser said city officials will conduct an unsheltered homeless count this week to “connect them to services and get them to come inside.”
Since Trump announced his plans to save D.C. from what he called its “crime emergency” on Aug. 11, the federal government has assumed control of the Metropolitan Police Department, mobilized hundreds of its National Guard troops and given law enforcement powers to more than a dozen federal agencies.
Bowser said while she has talked with the Trump administration, no conversations have taken place about Trump’s police takeover ending after 30 days. In order to extend his control over the D.C. police force beyond that, Congress would have to intervene.
“I think we’re going to have officers [after 30 days], and we want officers,” Bowser told reporters.
At a separate press conference Wednesday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke from D.C.’s Union Station, announcing the federal government would be retaking oversight of one of the country’s busiest train stations.
The rail hub has “fallen into disrepair,” Duffy said on Wednesday, when it should be a “point of pride” for the city.
“[Trump] wants Union Station to be beautiful again,” Duffy continued. “He wants transit to be safe again. And he wants our nation’s capital to be great again. And today is part of that.”
In its nearly 120-year history, Union Station has remained under federal ownership but has rotated managers and gone through several high-profile renovations. Most recently, the facility fell under the responsibility of Amtrak, a for-profit company that has the U.S. government as its controlling shareholder.
Wednesday’s announcement is just the latest involvement Duffy has sought for the busy station: In March, Duffy sent a letter to Amtrak requesting a public safety improvement plan for the station.
Bowser said while she feels it falls under the responsibility of the “federal government to make the necessary investments in the transformation of Union Station,” she’s not aware of federal plans for renovations.
“That station has suffered from needing, some say $12 billion, but let’s call it at least $8 billion, worth of investment in the renovation, and that is not something that the district will be able to support,” Bowser said Wednesday afternoon.
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