{"id":143272,"date":"2025-08-13T20:31:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/143272\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T20:31:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:31:12","slug":"federal-agents-will-be-out-24-7-on-patrol-in-dc-white-house-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/143272\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal agents will be out 24\/7 on patrol in DC, White House says"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 As a wary Washington waited, the White House promised a ramp-up of National Guard troops<\/a> and federal officers on the streets of the nation\u2019s capital around the clock starting Wednesday, days after President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> unprecedented announcement that his administration would take over the city\u2019s police department<\/a> for at least a month. <\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Democratic mayor walked a political tightrope, referring to the takeover as an \u201cauthoritarian push\u201d at one point and later framing the infusion of officers as boost to public safety, though one with few specific barometers for success. The Republican president has said crime in the city was at emergency levels that only such federal intervention<\/a> could fix \u2014 even as District of Columbia leaders pointed to statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low after a sharp rise two years ago. <\/p>\n

For two days, small groups of federal officers have been visible in scattered areas of the city. That is about to change, the administration says.<\/p>\n

A \u201csignificantly higher\u201d presence of guard members was expected Wednesday night, and federal agents will be out during the day as well as at night, according to the White House. Hundreds of federal law enforcement and city police officers who patrolled the streets Tuesday night made 43 arrests, compared with about two dozen the night before. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Agents<\/p>\n

Agents from various agencies including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Park Police, and FBI, question a couple who had been parked outside a legal parking zone while eating McDonald\u2019s takeout, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in northwest Washington near Kennedy St. NW. The couple were released after a search of the car. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Agents from various agencies including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Park Police, and FBI, question a couple who had been parked outside a legal parking zone while eating McDonald\u2019s takeout, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in northwest Washington near Kennedy St. NW. The couple were released after a search of the car. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

In one neighborhood, officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI could be seen along with the U.S. Park Police searching the car of a motorist parked just outside a legal parking area to eat takeout and drop off a friend. Two blocks away, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers gathered in a parking lot before driving off on patrol. <\/p>\n

In other parts of the city, including those with popular nightlife hot spots, federal patrols were harder to find. At the National Mall, there was little law enforcement activity aside from Park Police cruisers pulling over a taxi driver near the Washington Monument.<\/p>\n

Unlike in other U.S. states and cities, the law gives Trump the power<\/a> to take over Washington\u2019s police for up to 30 days. Extending his power over the city for longer would require approval from Congress, and that could be tough in the face of Democratic resistance. <\/p>\n

Trump suggested Wednesday that he could seek a longer period of control or decide to call on Congress to exercise authority over city laws his administration sees as lax on crime. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna do this very quickly. But we\u2019re gonna want extensions. I don\u2019t want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Targeting a variety of infractions<\/p>\n

The arrests made by 1,450 federal and local officers across the city included those for suspicion of driving under the influence and unlawful entry, as well as a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the White House. Seven illegal firearms were seized. <\/p>\n

There have now been more than 100 arrests since Trump began beefing up the federal law enforcement presence in Washington last week, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. \u201cPresident Trump is delivering on his campaign promise to clean up this city and restore American Greatness to our cherished capital,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

The president has full command of the National Guard, but as of Tuesday evening, guard members had yet to be assigned a specific mission, according to an official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. As many as 800 troops were expected to be mobilized in a support role to law enforcement, though exactly what form remains to be determined. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Ms.<\/p>\n

Ms. Jay, of Washington, who lost her job and is living what she calls her \u201cGirl Scout life\u201d while saving money by urban camping and looking for work while homeless, packs up her tent and belongings in a small park by Georgetown, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Washington, after being warned by an aid organization that tents are being removed. \u201cLast night was so scary,\u201d says Ms. Jay, \u201cI don\u2019t want to be the one to wait until the last moment and then have to rush out.\u201d (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Ms. Jay, of Washington, who lost her job and is living what she calls her \u201cGirl Scout life\u201d while saving money by urban camping and looking for work while homeless, packs up her tent and belongings in a small park by Georgetown, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Washington, after being warned by an aid organization that tents are being removed. \u201cLast night was so scary,\u201d says Ms. Jay, \u201cI don\u2019t want to be the one to wait until the last moment and then have to rush out.\u201d (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

The push also includes clearing out encampments for people who are homeless<\/a>, Trump has said. U.S. Park Police have removed dozens of tents since March, and plan to take out two more this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. People are offered the chance to go to shelters and get addiction treatment, if needed, but those who refuse could be fined or jailed, she said. <\/p>\n

City officials said they are making more shelter space available and increasing their outreach. <\/p>\n

Violent crime has dropped in the district<\/p>\n

The federal effort comes even after a drop in violent crime in the nation\u2019s capital, a trend that experts have seen in cities across the U.S. since an increase during the coronavirus pandemic. <\/p>\n

On average, the level of violence Washington remains mostly higher than averages in three dozen cities analyzed by the nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice, said the group\u2019s president and CEO, Adam Gelb.<\/p>\n

Police Chief Pamela Smith said during an interview with the local Fox affiliate that the city\u2019s Metro Police Department has been down nearly 800 officers. She said the increased number of federal agents on the streets would help fill that gap, at least for now. <\/p>\n

Mayor Muriel Bowser said city officials did not get any specific goals for the surge during a meeting with Trump\u2019s attorney general, Pam Bondi, and other top federal law enforcement officials Tuesday. But, she said, \u201cI think they regard it as a success to have more presence and take more guns off the street, and we do too.\u201d <\/p>\n

She had previously called Trump\u2019s moves \u201cunsettling and unprecedented\u201d while pointing out he was within a president\u2019s legal rights regarding the district, which is the seat of American government but is not a state.<\/p>\n

For some residents, the increased presence of law enforcement and National Guard troops is nerve-racking. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen them right here at the subway … they had my street where I live at blocked off yesterday, actually,\u201d Washington native Sheina Taylor said. \u201cIt\u2019s more fearful now because even though you\u2019re a law-abiding citizen, here in D.C., you don\u2019t know, especially because I\u2019m African American.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Vehicles<\/p>\n

Vehicles with law enforcement agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as Metropolitan Police drive along Kennedy Street NW, in the early morning of Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Petworth neighborhood of Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Vehicles with law enforcement agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as Metropolitan Police drive along Kennedy Street NW, in the early morning of Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Petworth neighborhood of Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Will Weissert, photographer Jacquelyn Martin and video journalist River Zhang contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 As a wary Washington waited, the White House promised a ramp-up of National Guard troops…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":143273,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[85059,12785,84,69,74452,57,8133,564,8006,8132,56925,50,11335,85060,80,60327,61,67,132,68,906,93],"class_list":{"0":"post-143272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"category-us","9":"tag-adam-gelb","10":"tag-dc-wire","11":"tag-district-of-columbia","12":"tag-donald-trump","13":"tag-fox-corp","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-karoline-leavitt","16":"tag-maryland","17":"tag-md-state-wire","18":"tag-military-and-defense","19":"tag-muriel-bowser","20":"tag-news","21":"tag-pam-bondi","22":"tag-pamela-smith","23":"tag-politics","24":"tag-taylor-rogers","25":"tag-u-s-news","26":"tag-united-states","27":"tag-unitedstates","28":"tag-us","29":"tag-virginia","30":"tag-washington-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115023359794480044","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}