by Dace Potas
President Donald Trump says he will take new actions to curb the crime problems in Washington, DC. Trump and other officials have announced plans for him to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department, deploy National Guard troops and ramp up federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital.
While I understand the public concern about Trump expanding his power beyond Washington, the District of Columbia is distinct from other cities governed by states, and the federal government has a unique role to play in its governance.
And I’m inclined to agree with Trump’s broader points about crime and safety in Washington.
Trump is right on one thing: America deserves a safe capital. Although it’s improving in terms of its crime problem, it is still far from being a safe city. While crime in the district is falling from its post-pandemic peak, and violent crime is even at a 30-year low, the violent crime rate in Washington remains relatively high compared with other states, and the homicide rate is atypically high.
Americans deserve a safe capital city. DC could be safer
Part of the problem is that many crimes are less often prosecuted in Washington. Even crimes involving weapons are charged at a rate substantially below those of other major cities. Similarly, the district has become less likely to prosecute minors and young adults, according to the Manhattan Institute, a right-wing think tank.
Still, Trump is definitely exaggerating the crime problem to give a pretext for his latest actions, and he will likely end up taking credit for declining crime rates that have already begun to take effect. But that doesn’t mean his idea of a crime-free Washington is wrong. I don’t think the Trump administration is all that much more capable of running the nation’s capital than the city leadership is, but I don’t find it offensive that White House officials would try their hand at it.
Nor is Washington just another city. It does mean something to be the nation’s capital, and representatives of foreign nations who visit are not seeing America’s best when they come there. The home of our federal government has no business being among the most dangerous cities in the nation.
Trump’s push is more about optics than safety
While Trump’s message is right, his push to ramp up federal law enforcement in Washington is more about optics than meaningfully reducing crime.
Having uniformed Drug Enforcement Administration agents patrolling the National Mall and flooding the streets with 800 National Guard personnel sounds great in theory, but Washington’s violent crime is concentrated in areas away from the Mall. It’s all for show.
Trump can also only take control of the local police force for up to 30 days before needing congressional approval. What he can actually accomplish over the course of a month remains to be seen, but I am skeptical of his ability to enact any lasting change in the coming weeks.
Temporary supplements from federal law enforcement and the National Guard could even help in the short term, but the problem of more than 800 police officer positions needing to be filled will remain even after those 30 days are up.
And what about filling the 15 vacancies on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, which handles the city’s criminal cases?
In the end, Trump’s increased control over Washington is likely to blow over as a typical optics play, with little show in terms of results. He’s overstating the problem of crimes and trying to take credit for declines that have already been happening without his intervention. It’s just more smoke and mirrors.
