WASHINGTON − National Guard troops hitting the streets of Washington, D.C. after President Donald Trump launched a military-assisted crackdown on crime could be armed and empowered to detain people, according to the Army.
A group of Washington, D.C., National Guard personnel pulled up in Humvees next to the Washington Memorial and drove around the National Mall on the evening of Aug. 12.
They weren’t armed then, but they could be soon, Army officials said.
Troops tasked with guarding national monuments won’t carry weapons, according to Army officials with knowledge of the deployment. But that could change as troops go out on different missions, like accompanying law enforcement, said the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The guardsmen could carry pistols or rifles, one official said. The model of firearm they would carry won’t be determined until an official order is given, according to the second official.
The troops will have the ability to detain people and hold them for law enforcement, although they can’t make arrests of their own accord, according to Montrell Russell, an Army spokesperson.
The Army has said between 100 and 200 guardsmen will be on patrol with law enforcement at any given time.
Thanks to its unique legal status, the Washington, D.C., National Guard can carry out law enforcement functions that guardsmen from other states, when under a president’s direct command, are barred from performing.
As of Aug. 13, troops were patrolling areas maintained by the National Park Service, like the National Mall, the green space in downtown Washington that stretches from the Capitol building to the Lincoln Memorial, Russell said. They are also stationed at a Park Service building in the Anacostia neighborhood in Southeast Washington.
National Guardsmen who live in Washington, D.C., or within a 50-mile radius will sleep at their homes, while those who don’t will sleep at nearby military base facilities or hotels, according to Russell.
Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he would use his presidential powers to seize control of Washington’s local police department and deploy the 800 National Guard troops to combat crime in the city. He has ordered homeless people to leave immediately.
The move raised alarm over Trump tapping presidential powers over the military that are typically viewed as emergency measures. Although violent crime in Washington is down this year, Trump has characterized crime in the city as a state of emergency.
It also echoed Trump’s first term, when he ordered National Guardsmen from Washington, D.C., and 11 other states to suppress protests in the summer of 2020 over police brutality and the murder of George Floyd.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DC National Guard rolling onto Washington streets could be armed
