‘We are getting rid of the slums': U.S. President Trump places D.C. police under federal control
U.S. President Donald Trump says 'it's time for dramatic action' as he announces D.C. police will be brought under federal control to tackle crime.
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Toronto Sun
26 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Trump's Washington takeover begins as National Guard troops arrive
Published Aug 12, 2025 • 5 minute read Members of the National Guard walk from the DC Joint Force Headquarters to the DC Armory in Washington, DC, on August 12, 2025. Donald Trump on August 11 deployed military and federal law enforcement to curb violent crime in Washington, as he seeks to make good on his campaign pledge to be a "law and order" president. The Republican leader said he would place the city's Metropolitan Police under federal government control while also sending the National Guard onto the streets of the US capital. The overwhelmingly Democratic city faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged -- although violent offenses are down. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP WASHINGTON — Some of the 800 National Guard members deployed by President Donald Trump began arriving in the nation's capital on Tuesday, ramping up after the White House ordered federal forces to take over the city's police department and reduce crime in what the president called — without substantiation — a lawless city. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The influx came the morning after Trump announced he would be activating the guard members and taking over the department. He cited a crime emergency — but referred to the same crime that city officials stress is already falling noticeably. The president holds the legal right to make such moves for at least a month. Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged to work alongside the federal officials Trump has tasked with overseeing the city's law enforcement, while insisting the police chief remained in charge of the department and its officers. 'How we got here or what we think about the circumstances — right now we have more police, and we want to make sure we use them,' she told reporters. The tone was a shift the day before, when Bowser said Trump's plan to take over the Metropolitan Police Department and call in the National Guard was not a productive step and argued his perceived state of emergency simply doesn't match the declining crime numbers. Still, the law gives the federal government more sway over the capital city than in U.S. states, and Bowser said her administration's ability to push back is limited. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Attorney General Pam Bondi, meanwhile, called the Tuesday morning meeting productive in a social media post and said the Justice Department would 'work closely with the D.C. city government' to 'make Washington, D.C., safe again.' The city and Trump have had a bumpy relationship While Trump invokes his plan by saying that 'we're going to take our capital back,' Bowser and the MPD maintain that violent crime overall in Washington has decreased to a 30-year low after a sharp rise in 2023. Carjackings, for example, dropped about 50% in 2024 and are down again this year. More than half of those arrested, however, are juveniles, and the extent of those punishments is a point of contention for the Trump administration. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Bowser, a Democrat, spent much of Trump's first term in office openly sparring with the Republican president. She fended off his initial plans for a military parade through the streets and stood in public opposition when he called in a multi-agency flood of federal law enforcement to confront anti-police brutality protesters in summer 2020. She later had the words 'Black Lives Matter' painted in giant yellow letters on the street about a block from the White House. In Trump's second term, backed by Republican control of both houses of Congress, Bowser has walked a public tightrope for months, emphasizing common ground with the Trump administration on issues such as the successful effort to bring the NFL's Washington Commanders back to the District of Columbia. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She watched with open concern for the city streets as Trump finally got his military parade this summer. Her decision to dismantle Black Lives Matter Plaza earlier this year served as a neat metaphor for just how much the power dynamics between the two executives had evolved. Now that fraught relationship enters uncharted territory as Trump has followed through on months of what many D.C. officials had quietly hoped were empty threats. The new standoff has cast Bowser in a sympathetic light, even among her longtime critics. 'It's a power play and we're an easy target,' said Clinique Chapman, CEO of the D.C. Justice Lab. A frequent critic of Bowser, whom she accuses of 'over policing our youth' with the recent expansions of Washington's youth curfew, Chapman said Trump's latest move 'is not about creating a safer D.C. It's just about power.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Bowser contends that all the power resides with Trump and that her administration can do little other than comply and make the best of it. As long as Washington remains a federal enclave with limited autonomy under the 1973 Home Rule Act, she said, it will remain vulnerable to such takeovers. 'We know that access to our democracy is tenuous,' Bowser said. 'That is why you have heard me, and many many Washingtonians before me, advocate for full statehood for the District of Columbia.' Section 740 of the Home Rule Act allows the president to take over Washington's police for up to 30 days during times of emergencies. No president has done so before, said Monica Hopkins, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's D.C. chapter. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'That should alarm everyone,' she said, 'not just in Washington.' For Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects an escalation of his aggressive approach to law enforcement. The District of Columbia's status as a congressionally established federal district gives him a unique opportunity to push his tough-on-crime agenda, though he has not proposed solutions to the root causes of homelessness or crime. 'Let me be crystal clear,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said during Trump's announcement news conference. 'Crime in D.C. is ending and ending today.' The action fits a presidential pattern Trump's declaration of a state of emergency fits the general pattern of his second term in office. He has declared states of emergency on issues ranging from border protection to economic tariffs, enabling him to essentially rule via executive order. In many cases, he has moved forward while the courts sorted them out. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Bowser's claims about successfully driving down violent crime rates received backing earlier this year from an unlikely source. Ed Martin, Trump's original choice for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, issued a press release in April hailing a 25% drop in violent crime rates from the previous year. 'Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the efforts of our 'Make D.C. Safe Again' initiative, the District has seen a significant decline in violent crime,' Martin said. 'We are proving that strong enforcement, and smart policies can make our communities safer.' In May, Trump abandoned his efforts to get Martin confirmed for the post in the face of opposition in Congress. His replacement candidate, former judge and former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, was recently confirmed. On Monday, Pirro — standing next to Trump _ called his takeover 'the step that we need right now to make criminals understand that they are not going to get away with it anymore.' Toronto Blue Jays Toronto Blue Jays World Columnists Columnists
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Shooting that injured 22-year-old in Prince George ‘likely targeted,' B.C. RCMP say
An RCMP patch is seen on the shoulder of an assistant commissioner, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday, April 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Authorities believe a shooting that injured a young man in Prince George, B.C., over the weekend was targeted. Prince George RCMP said officers found the 22-year-old victim after responding to a shooting near Quince Street and 20 Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. On Tuesday, RCMP spokesperson Const. Jenna Moore said investigators do not believe there is 'increased risk to the general public' following the shooting. 'The investigation is still in its early stages, but initial findings indicated this was likely a targeted event,' said Moore, in a news release. 'If anyone in the neighbourhood witnessed the event or saw something suspicious we ask that they please contact the Prince George RCMP.' Authorities are also looking for video that could help their investigation, including dash-cam, cellphone or surveillance video taken in the area of the shooting between 11 p.m. Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Sault man faces multiple charges in years long break-and-enter spree
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service's Division 2 location is on Brock Street at the corner of Wellington Street East downtown. The new site is beginning initial operations on April 28, 2025 and opened to the public on May 27, 2025. (File photo/Supplied/Sault Ste. Marie Police Service) A 39-year-old man has been charged in connection with a series of break-and-enter incidents dating back to 2019, according to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. Charges stem from incidents spanning six years The first reported break-in occurred on August 23, 2019, at a business in the 100 block of Poplar Avenue. Police said the suspect entered the establishment, damaged property and stole currency. A second incident took place on December 3, 2019, at a multi-unit residential building in the 100 block of Conmee Avenue. Investigators determined the suspect had broken into the building, caused damage in a common area and stolen cash and other items. The most recent break-in happened on May 9 of this year at a business in the 200 block of Elizabeth Street. Police reported that the suspect not only damaged property and stole money but also left behind tools used in the break-in. Suspect identified, arrested months later After a lengthy investigation, police identified the suspect in all three incidents and obtained an arrest warrant on July 22. Officers from the Division 2 Unit located the accused on Aug. 8. The accused faces three counts each of breaking-and-entering, mischief, theft, possession of break-in instruments and possession of instruments for breaking into coin-operated devices along with two counts of breach of recognizance. The accused was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 20.
