President Donald Trump’s Aug. 7 emergency order placing Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department under temporary federal control has produced a rapid surge in arrests. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said 465 people had been detained by Aug. 19; Attorney General Pam Bondi raised the total to more than 550 a day later and to 630 on Aug. 21, citing the seizure of 86 illegal firearms. National Guard units and federal agents are assisting local officers, and 48 homeless encampments have been dismantled. The administration contends the crackdown is translating into tangible public-safety gains. According to figures shared by the D.C. Police Union and Vice President J.D. Vance, carjackings have fallen 83 percent, robberies 55 percent and overall violent crime 35 percent since the operation began; the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the city went seven consecutive days without a homicide through Aug. 20, the longest such stretch in years. Separately, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has opened a Justice Department investigation into whether D.C. officials understated crime levels before the takeover. The probe follows union allegations that some offenses were downgraded to lesser charges to improve statistics. Mayor Muriel Bowser and District Attorney Brian Schwalb call the federal intervention an overreach that infringes on the city’s home-rule authority. Under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, federal control of the police force can last up to 30 days unless extended by Congress. Bondi has signaled the administration may seek a longer mandate if crime rebounds, setting the stage for a potential legal and political clash with city leaders even as both sides await more comprehensive—and independently verified—data on the operation’s impact.