By Steve Neavling
Updated: 11:50 a.m., Monday: Besides deploying FBI agents to patrol the streets of D.C., President Donald Trump announced that he was placing the police department under direct federal control and will deploy the National Guard to the streets to fight crime, the Washington Post reports, adding that the decision could expose residents “to unpredictable encounters with a domestically deployed military force.”
From Earlier Monday Morning
The Trump administration is temporarily reassigning 120 FBI agents in Washington, D.C., to nighttime street patrols as part of President Trump’s effort to combat crime in the nation’s capital, according to people familiar with the plan, The New York Times reports.
Most of the agents will come from the bureau’s Washington field office, though it was unclear if others would be pulled from nearby cities, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details were not public.
An FBI spokeswoman said agents were “participating in the increased federal law enforcement presence in Washington” and referred further questions to the White House. The plan was first reported by The Washington Post.
Trump has claimed crime in Washington is “spiraling out of control,” though violent crime hit a 30-year low last year and is down another 26% so far this year. Youth crime has remained a concern for city officials.
The move follows the assault of a senior Department of Government Efficiency official during an attempted carjacking. Trump has threatened to put Washington under federal control and plans to unveil his crime-fighting strategy Monday morning.
It is the latest example of the administration reallocating FBI personnel to match the president’s priorities. About 900 agents nationwide have recently been assigned to assist with immigration enforcement, despite many having little experience with immigration cases or patrol-focused policing.
