First, let’s recognize: Trump’s D.C. police takeover is working – crime is down across the board.
But can he make it last?
Many on the left are bemoaning President Trump’s takeover of law enforcement in Washington, DC. It’s funny that when the President uses the powers that have been entrusted to the office, suddenly there’s a great gnashing of teeth.
Perhaps the anti-Trump crowd forgets that the District of Columbia was run by presidential appointees for almost 100 years prior to 1973.
The Home Rule Act, introduced by two Democrats, included a clause that allowed the President to take control in certain situations. Few deny Trump’s authority to do so. And this power has been used in the past, with federal troops deployed in the city in 1968, 1991, and 2021.
This time is a bit different, as even with allegations of crime statistic manipulation, crime appears to be on a downswing. But Washington, DC is emblematic of our nation – and it’s a dangerous, crime-and-disorder-ridden mess. Elected officials, citizens, foreign dignitaries, and tourists are victimized on a regular basis. That should not be the story of America today.
Personally, I am not a fan of soldiers occupying the streets of our nation. Federal agents are investigators, not street cops. However, it’s hard to argue with the results. In the week since Trump took control over the Metropolitan Police crime is way down. This past week 8/11-8/17) there were 27 violent crimes compared to 38 the week before (8/4-8/10).
In policing, robberies are often considered the bellwether crime – an indicator of crime trends. Robberies were down to 12 compared to 22 in the week before the takeover. The people of Washington are safer – that is a fact.
Have the soldiers and agents made an impact? Yes. Even though they are not trained as cops, it is often the perception that makes the difference. People feel safer – perps feel nervous. That is a good thing.
The problem is that Trump’s mandate to invoke a “crisis” over D.C. crime comes with a 30-day expiration date, thanks to the language of the Home Rule bill. So to keep crime going in the right direction the Trump Administration needs to do three things.
First, they need to publicly address the crime statistics concerns and then fix them. There have been credible allegations of numbers fudging within the Metropolitan Police Department. One of its seven District Commanders was relieve of his commad in July over allegations of downgrading crimes. If people cannot trust the crime numbers, lower crime statistics will not make citizens feel safer.
Second, the Trump Administration needs to augment the overworked Metropolitan Police to address disorder in the capital. That means enforcing the chaos in the streets. Broken Windows (which is not the same as zero tolerance) enforcement needs to be the order of the day. That is hard to do with a department that is down to 3,200 officers from a budgeted staff of 4,000 officers.
This shortage is in fact the rationale for the current deployment of National Guard and other federal personnel. But Trump needs to get that MPD number back up to acceptable levels.
Third, federal agents need to be properly used and focused. Putting federal agents on the street sends a strong and immediate message to criminals. But federal agents are not cops. Many on the left look at cops as untrained goons with no skills. That is not the case. Policing is a difficult job, and it needs to be done correctly – by professionals. Federal agents do not have the training or experience to carry out street cop roles on an extended basis. It will, eventually, lead to a (no doubt highly publicized) incident of some sort.
And regarding federal agents who’ve been deployed in D.C: What these agents are good at is investigations, and that is where their attention needs to be focused in the near future. Beefing up the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, and the Secret Service’s staffing in DC offices and focusing them on violent crimes should be the order of the day.
Federal law enforcement needs to work with the Metropolitan Police Department to identify crime problems and determine which individuals are driving those crimes. They need to take that information and conduct investigations that take these hardcore perps off the streets. Cooperation and information sharing is the key.
At the same time, the Trump administration has to continue to name-and-shame the turn ‘em loose judges that dominate in D.C. No amount of policing can work for long if the judges simply let recidivist perps walk.
Donald Trump has sent a strong message to the criminals who are desecrating the streets of our nation’s capital. But his current initiative, unless renewed, only comes in 30-day increments. The president needs a long-term plan to make these crime reductions last.
And – dare we say it? – he needs a way to export this plan to cities beyond Washington, D.C. Because while our capital has great symbolic value – most of us don’t live there.
And all our cities deserve the same crime reductions that D.C. is currently seeing.
Um, And If You’re Wondering WHY D.C. Needs Help….
I mean, come on…. She didn’t know what the term MEANT??
Big News Recap for Tuesday, 19 August
Since we’re posting midweek, here’s tonight’s Big News Recap from over on X and the other socials….
Our Vanishing Cops
Big-city police departments are bleeding officers. Since 2020, staffing in agencies with 250+ cops has dropped about 6%. Some are hit even harder: Washington, D.C.’s force is running 20% below budgeted strength, and the NYPD is down 4,000 officers compared to 2018.
Incredibly, the NYPD alone has lost 14,500 officers in just 4½ years. This year, an average of 316 leave every month. You don’t need a calculator to know that’s unsustainable.
Why does this matter? Because crime-fighting policies only work if there are people to carry them out. Without enough boots on the ground, specialized units like the NYPD’s Quality of Life Division can’t function. “Do more with less” sounds bold, but in reality it actually means “do less.”
And the cops who stay? They get ground down. Endless overtime, assignments outside their training, detectives pulled off cases to walk footposts. Drug enforcement suffers, crimes go unsolved, morale tanks. Overtime rules even push more cops to retire sooner, creating a vicious cycle.
So how do you fix it? Hire better, not just faster. Cops are professionals and should be recruited and treated that way. One bad hire can wreck public trust. Low morale makes the whole department less effective. Politicians need to back their officers, support solid policework, and crack down on misconduct without turning every cop into a punching bag.
Instead, what they often get is the opposite: cheap shots from leaders, lower hiring standards, and an unhealthy work culture. No wonder officers head for the exits. And once credibility is lost, it takes years to rebuild.
If we care about public safety, we can’t keep running police departments into the ground. The well-being of our communities depends on getting this right.
See? It CAN Be Done
Don’t look now — or rather, you should look now — but there is a jurisdiction just outside New York City that is getting the safety issue right.
Nassau County, Long Island is showing what happens when leaders actually take crime seriously. Under County Executive Bruce Blakeman and his Police Commissioner, Pat Ryder, Long Island’s biggest county has safer streets, fewer crimes, and a clear message: criminals won’t last here.
Perhaps the biggest example came last week, when cops hauled in 42 alleged gang members, many tied to MS-13’s Hempstead crew. These weren’t small-time crooks — they’re accused of machete attacks, weapons charges, and trafficking. For years, MS-13 tried to terrorize neighborhoods. Nassau just told them: not anymore.
Blakeman’s team also works hand-in-hand with ICE. More than 1,600 undocumented offenders have been detained this year, thanks to local detectives deputized for federal work and jail space reserved for ICE. Instead of fighting Washington for headlines, Nassau partners with them to get bad guys off the street.
And the results? Crime is down 25 percent from last year. For the second straight reporting period, zero homicides. Burglaries and robberies way down. This isn’t talk — it’s real safety people can feel.
Blakeman’s also added 300+ new cops and corrections staff and boosted patrols by about 20 percent. While other places cut corners or make excuses, Nassau is putting more boots on the ground and more muscle into the job.
Bottom line: Nassau County is getting law enforcement right. Crackdowns, smart partnerships, and more cops on patrol.
The payoff is simple — safer neighborhoods and a county that feels protected.
Blakeman is hotly rumored to be considering a run for New York State Governor. He’s creating a record that will be truly tough to beat.
And in light of the fact that we have jurisdictions like his that show what works — as New York City has done in the past — why is it so hard for America’s cities to get this right?
And finally…
If this doesn’t sum up the trajectory of America’s cities under blue rule….
