President Donald Trump issued an executive order on 11 Aug. declaring a public-safety emergency in Washington, D.C., placing the city’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and directing the mobilization of about 800 National Guard soldiers. The order, citing “unchecked violent crime,” invokes Section 740 of the 1973 Home Rule Act, which allows a president to assume command of the capital’s police force for up to 30 days without congressional approval. Guard members began reporting to the D.C. Armory on 12 Aug. and are expected to patrol crime “hot spots,” protect federal property and support arrests alongside local and federal officers. A White House official said the deployment will run through 25 Sept. unless Trump determines earlier that order has been restored. District officials dispute the premise for the takeover. Mayor Muriel Bowser noted that violent crime fell 35 % in 2024 and a further 26 % in the first seven months of 2025, reaching a 30-year low. She pledged to cooperate with federal authorities while contending the city is “not experiencing a crime spike.” Legal scholars say the president holds clear authority over the D.C. National Guard and temporary control of the police department, but a broader or prolonged federalization would likely face court challenges and require congressional action. The move extends Trump’s broader law-and-order agenda and could serve as a precedent for similar interventions in other jurisdictions.