The Sentencing Project Condemns Federal Takeover of D.C. Police
Congress must stop undemocratic attack on District’s autonomy.
Related to: Federal Advocacy
Washington, D.C. – Today, President Trump declared a ‘public safety emergency’, invoking section 1–207.40 of the D.C. Code, to place the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under temporary federal control and deploying the National Guard in the capital despite recent federal data demonstrating falling crime rates in cities across the country, including Washington, D.C.
Liz Komar, Sentencing Reform Counsel at The Sentencing Project issued the following statement:
“This decision to attack the autonomy of Washington, D.C. voters isn’t about safety. Crime is down in the District. Homicides in the District fell by 32% in 2024 and are continuing to decline. Violent crime overall has decreased and is near historic lows. DC already incarcerates its youth at three times the national rate. So why does this Administration insist on ignoring reality?
“Federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department, criminalizing unhoused people, and disparaging our youth, while cutting funding for services that address the root causes of crime won’t strengthen our communities. This order is about control and criminalization. It’s denying the will of Washingtonians who again and again have voted for a different vision of community safety – one rooted in evidence and oriented toward prevention rather than punishment. It will exacerbate racial inequality and worsen mass incarceration. We urge Congress to block this authoritarian attack on the District’s sovereignty and stop this abuse of power.”
