Washington, D.C., Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton called Councilman Trayon White's suggestion to bring in the National Guard after the rise in violent crime "ridiculous."

"It really is ridiculous to hear what this gentleman is saying," Pemberton said to WMAL on Wednesday.

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He ripped White and the city's council for having pushed for demilitarizing the police department and then now making a "pretty preposterous" push for "humvees and camouflage" and "rifles on corners."

Pemberton explained that the National Guard works for "civil unrest, major events, and inauguration." He said it does "have arrest authority" but only for a "civil disturbance."

"They are not equipped to go out and investigate shootings and homicides. They are not detectives. They don't know how to secure a crime scene. They don't know how to do any of the work that we do," the union head said.

White had held a news conference on Tuesday in southeast Washington near the location where three people were fatally shot and two others were wounded in his district Saturday night.

“The crime is out of control and getting worse by the day. We must declare an emergency regarding the crime and violence in our neighborhoods and act urgently. It may be time to call on the National Guard to protect the children and innocent people that are losing their lives to this senselessness," White said. "I am tired of burying our children. We are too comfortable with the state of our city. We must take action to gain control and protect our residents. Law enforcement is only one part of how we combat public safety issues. It will take all of us to heal our community."

"That's not what they are for," Pemberton said of White's request for the National Guard. "They are not here to investigate violent crime."

He added that what "White is really asking for is more police officers."

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D.C. Police Union blames the council’s emergency police reforms for making police working in the city "miserable" and its causing staffing shortages and more violence. Pemberton also pointed to the U.S. District Attorney's Office for releasing two-thirds of its arrests with "no charges."

"If there is no consequence for engaging in this kind of behavior of armed carjackings, shootings, stabbings, and even rapes, people will continue to commit these crimes," he said.