President Trump’s action this summer asserting federal control of the District of Columbia police force was a bold and necessary step toward confronting the rampant crime that has plagued our nation’s capital for years.
This decision resonates strongly, especially in light of the crime data in the District. The persistent narratives attempting to downplay the crime crisis in D.C. needed be challenged. Trump recognized this and took action.
At the conclusion of the first month in this extensive experiment, the data already revealed a striking narrative: The relentless tide of crime can be stemmed, wherever the will exists to do so. Living in crime and danger is a choice, not an inevitability.
Crime rates across all seven police districts of Washington have shown a significant downturn since the federal takeover. This change is not limited by economic strata — both affluent neighborhoods and those less fortunate have benefited from this decline.
Homicides, a tragic barometer of societal health, plummeted by more than 60 percent in the first month. Property crimes, too, saw notable reductions: burglary and theft from vehicles decreased by more than 40 percent, and motor vehicle thefts fell by approximately 35 percent. Incidents of robbery declined by 19 percent.
The crucial question is whether the District’s leaders will summon the discipline to sustain this progress — or simply relapse into the entrenched patterns of dysfunction that have long defined the city’s governance.
For years, D.C. has wrestled with a heinous crime rate. In 2023, the city recorded 274 murders, three times as many as it had in 2012. The pace at which it reached 200 homicides that year was the fastest in 26 years. The District’s murder rate that year surpassed that of cities like Bogotá and Mexico City, which are notorious for their violence.
The statistics are damning: Prior to the federal takeover, the number of car thefts had doubled and carjackings had more than tripled in just five years. These figures paint a plain picture of reality, contradicting misleading, bogus, and fallacious claims from local officials who have, time and again, insisted that everything is “just fine,” that crime is “actually decreasing” just because it isn’t quite as high as it was during the massive spike of 2023.
Their level of denial, akin to sticking one’s head in the sand, does not pave a path to real solutions; it only fosters a dangerous environment in which citizens feel less secure.
Trump invoked the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, asserting his constitutional authority — something very much in line with the founding principles that establish congressional oversight over the nation’s capital. By mobilizing the National Guard to rein in crime, Trump not only prioritized public safety but also challenged the status quo that has allowed D.C. to spiral into lawlessness.
This concern for safety was echoed in a recent Washington Post poll, which revealed that Black and low-income residents of D.C. have been particularly alarmed about the rising crime rates, highlighting a troubling disconnect between prevailing political narratives and the lived experiences of vulnerable communities.
The D.C. police union voiced unanimous support for federal intervention, acknowledging that crime is out of control and that local policies have hindered effective law enforcement. This underscores a crucial truth: When local governments opt for self-interested narratives — such as blaming lack of statehood or historical injustices instead of addressing crime directly — they only exacerbate public fear. It is not leadership to ignore worsening conditions while simultaneously manipulating crime statistics in order to paint a rosy picture. Rather, that is a betrayal of public trust.
Trump’s strategy of increasing police presence and reshaping law enforcement authority is reminiscent of practical measures that stemmed from the “Broken Windows Theory” of policing. The basic idea is that addressing small problems can prevent larger ones from manifesting. If the community can see that law enforcement is actively engaged, the likelihood of crime decreases. This concept has been proven time and again in other cities, where policing strategies that insist on accountability and visible enforcement lead to substantial drops in criminal behavior.
Critics, particularly from the political left, have decried these measures as heavy-handed or racially motivated. Yet, to claim that the administration’s focus on cracking down on crime is rooted in racism is to sidestep the issue. Crime should be colorblind in its consequences; it is not. People of color are vastly disproportionately the victims of violent crime in D.C., as well as nationwide.
There is a clear expectation across all demographics that communities should be safe, and that regardless of one’s political beliefs, no one wants to fall victim to crime — as Trump put it, “Even if you’re a liberal, you might not want people to be murdered on the streets.” This acknowledgment transcends politics and strikes at the heart of what many citizens desire: safety, order, and the opportunity to thrive without fear.
As support swells for Trump’s tough-on-crime approach, it underscores a critical realization: that effective governance demands a firm hand when dealing with the chaos that unchecked crime brings to our communities.
Trump’s decisive action to reclaim control over the policing of Washington, D.C. deserves acknowledgment. As he suggested, “We want our Capitol back,” and that means refusing to accept a narrative of complacency when real-world dangers lurk just outside our doors.
Craig J. DeLuz has almost 30 years of experience in public policy and advocacy and hosts a daily news and commentary show called “The RUNDOWN.”