The Trump administration is using hundreds of federal police officers to target crime in Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump’s public safety push in the nation’s capital.
The White House said 450 officers from multiple federal agencies were deployed in high-traffic D.C. areas and other hotspots on Aug. 9 and 10. The officers are from 18 agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Secret Service.
Trump ordered an increased law enforcement presence in D.C. on Aug. 8 after complaining about crime in the city, even as violent crime trended down. Violent crime declined by 35% in D.C. in 2024, according to data compiled by the D.C. Metropolitan Police.
The 2024 numbers marked the lowest level of violent crime in “over 30 years,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a news release.
The Trump administration is temporarily reassigning 120 FBI agents to patrol D.C. streets at night, the Washington Post and New York Times reported. Asked about the reports, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told USA TODAY that there has been an “increase in federal law enforcement officers in DC in response to violent crime. This includes the FBI.”
“In just a few nights, federal law enforcement officers have already played a vital role in deterring crime, arresting criminals, and getting dangerous drugs and weapons off the streets,” Jackson added.
Trump appears poised to take further federal actions to address crime in the capital. He teased an Aug. 11 White House news conference about “Crime and ‘Beautification.'”
Trump presidency: Trump orders federal law enforcement officers to patrol Washington, D.C. streets
“It will not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital,” Trump said Aug. 10 in a social media post.
The initiative, according to Trump, will also target homeless individuals in the city.
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump warned on social media. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump deploys federal officers to patrol DC streets amid announcement
