Federal Policing Takes Effect in Washington—What to Know

The move comes as part of a push by the administration toward ‘beautification’ of the capital city and a crackdown on crime.

Members of the National Guard walk from the D.C. Joint Force Headquarters to the D.C. Armory in Washington, on Aug. 12, 2025. Jim Watson/AFP

On Aug. 12, National Guard troops arrived in Washington after President Donald Trump federalized policing, citing a scourge of crime in the capital city.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Aug. 12 that the addition of National Guardsmen to the federalized D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) force would help to end “violent crime in our nation’s capital as part of the president’s massive law enforcement surge.”