After previously criticizing President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has since changed her stance, praising the federal operation for the reduction in homicides, carjackings, and gun crimes.
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The nation’s capital has seen a 38% decrease in homicides, an 87% decrease in carjackings, and a 62% decrease in robberies. Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed on Thursday that there have been 1,283 arrests and the seizure of 135 illegal guns as a result of the operation.
“We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [the Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city,” Bowser stated at a briefing alongside a chart, crediting the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Park Police, and Capitol Police for aiding in the efforts.
“For carjackings, the difference between this period, this 20-day period of this federal surge and last year represents an 87% reduction in carjackings in Washington, D.C.
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“This is what we think in just a couple of weeks of experience has worked.”
“Having more federal law enforcement officers on the street – we think having more stops that got to illegal guns has helped. We think that there is more accountability in the system, or at least perceived accountability in the system, that is driving down illegal behavior. We know that we have had fewer gun crimes, fewer homicides, and we have experienced an extreme reduction in carjackings,” Bowser added.
Despite praising the federal and local joint effort, Bowser stated that the operation is resulting in a “break in trust between police and community, especially with new federal partners in our community.”
“We know having masked ICE agents in the community has not worked, and national guards from other states has not been an efficient use of those resources,” she noted.
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“That was not something that I discussed with the president. What we want is local control of our public safety ecosystem,” Bowser stated. “That includes deployment of officers, and we want federal officers that work in coordination with us — DEA, ATF, FBI — who, as the chief just mentioned, work with us on major crime issues all the time.”
“After 30 days, I think we’re going to have officers, and we want officers. We want to enhance our officer presence.”
Meanwhile, several local Democrat politicians have criticized Bowser for “giving people the impression [the federal takeover] is a good thing.”
“We should not, as the District of Columbia, be giving people the impression that this is a good thing, that we are OK with it, that it is helping the city. It is not doing any of those things,” stated Democrat Councilmember Robert White Jr. “I am not OK with this. The average resident is not OK with this. D.C. residents, D.C. voters, are not OK with this.”
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FreeDC, a local organization focused on preserving Home Rule in D.C., labeled Trump’s federal takeover an “occupation.”
“The people of D.C. deserve better than what the mayor said today,” stated Nee Nee Taylor, the co-founder of the organization. “It is dangerous for MPD to not be accountable to the people here. Our demand remains that all escalated federal forces leave D.C. immediately, and that the leaders who are sworn to serve D.C. residents work to end this occupation and do everything possible to protect people during this period of increased danger and threat.”
* Original Article:
Mayor Bowser admits Trump’s D.C. crime crackdown ‘Has worked’ after initially pushing back