Secretary of War Pete Hegseth credited National Guard members serving as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force for the “staggering” crime drop in Washington during an event honoring the National Guard on Thursday.
Hegseth commended the National Guard members for doing the “difficult, tough job that no one else is willing to do” and for helping law enforcement officials reduce crime in Washington over the past year. He noted that the crime rate in Washington has “dropped in staggering amounts” since the start of the mission.
Crime statistics provided by the Metropolitan Police Department from Jan. 1 to July 2 show that homicides have dropped by 45 percent and motor vehicle thefts have dropped by 54 percent. Additionally, robberies have dropped by 20 percent and property crimes have dropped by 24 percent compared with the same period from last year.
While the number of assaults with a dangerous weapon has increased by 46 percent, total crime is down 22 percent from last year.
“To the soldiers here, thank you for everything you’re doing. … Law and order is something all Americans deserve—black, white, rich, poor, man, or woman—from D.C. or far-flung places in this country,” Hegseth said in his address to over 500 National Guard members at Washington’s Meridian Hill Park.
“You’re not from Washington, most of you, but this is your capital, and you believe in this 250th year that it should be safe and it should be secure for every single citizen that lives here and every single citizen that comes to visit.”
Speaking alongside Hegseth on Thursday, Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said National Guard members have saved over 235 lives, restored children back to their families 27 times, and provided over 530 medical assists since President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the task force last March.
The War Department confirmed that roughly 5,000 National Guard members are currently helping with the mission, with about half of the guardsman recently being sent to Washington ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Hegseth was heckled by “Free DC” protesters throughout his speech on Thursday. Protesters blew horns and whistles, while others shouted at the secretary of war during his arrival at the park and the ceremony.
“This background noise this morning is perfect. It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them,” Hegseth said in response to the protesters.
At the end of his speech, Hegseth called for a moment of silence to honor Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who were both shot while deployed in Washington last fall. Beckstrom later died from her injuries, while Wolfe was badly injured.
The suspected shooter was identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national. Lakanwal was charged on 17 counts, including first-degree murder, as part of a superseding indictment last month. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
