Washington Post Appears To Skips Over Massive Drop In DC Crime When Analyzing Trump’s Crackdown
Carjackings fell 96%, while robberies dropped 68% and homicides were down 67%
DC mayor and AG at odds as lawsuit challenges Trump’s anti-crime operation
Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., seem divided on President Donald Trump's law enforcement surge aimed at cleaning up the district's streets.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Trump administration for deploying thousands of National Guard troops to the nation's capital.
'This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents and visitors — to undermine the president's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.'
"The residents and leaders of the District of Columbia have not requested any of this," the complaint reads. "None of this is lawful."
Schwalb accused Trump of "run[ning] roughshod over a fundamental tenet of American democracy — that the military should not be involved in domestic law enforcement."
"No American city should have the U.S. military — particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement — policing its streets," Schwalb said. "It's D.C. today but could be any other city tomorrow. We've filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach."
He further claimed that the Trump administration authorized the National Guard deployment without Mayor Muriel Bowser's (D) consent. However, Bowser recently thanked the White House for helping the city reduce crime.
"We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [the Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city," Bowser stated during a Wednesday news conference.
While she admitted the law enforcement surge had lowered crime, she simultaneously claimed that the presence of federal immigration agents and National Guard troops was "not working," noting that she is "devastated" by residents "living in fear."
RELATED: Trump floats sending federal agents to yet another crime-ridden blue city besides Chicago
The White House called Schwalb's lawsuit an attempt to undermine Trump.
"President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C. to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Signal. "This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors — to undermine the president's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C."
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UK police face wave of backlash over live facial recognition tech at carnival
The Metropolitan Police have been experimenting with and refining their live facial recognition technology for nearly a decade. Large events, such as the recent Notting Hill Festival in West London, have been used as special targets for the police force's technology.
Not everyone is on board with this surveillance technology, however. Several groups have come forward to call for the reconsideration of the use of this technology on several grounds, including the fact that the legitimacy of the technology is relatively unproven both in practice and in law.
'We all want criminals off the streets, but turning [the] carnival into a mass police lineup is not the way to do it.'
According to the BBC, 11 organizations urged Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley in a letter to abandon the technology, warning that it is a "mass surveillance tool that treats all carnival-goers as potential suspects" and has "no place at one of London's biggest cultural celebrations."
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The recent letter, signed by Big Brother Watch, Human Rights Watch, Liberty, the Runnymede Trust, Race on the Agenda, Privacy International, Statewatch, Open Rights Group, Stop Watch, Race Equality First, and Access Now, highlights the invasiveness, past errors, and the potential lack of legality of the use of this technology.
LFR has been used at the Notting Hill Carnival dating back to 2016 and 2017, according to a Sky News report. Using cameras mounted on police vans, LFR matches live people's faces against police records. This purportedly gives police the ability to know exactly who to pull aside for "questioning," especially in crowded areas or large events.
Rowley admitted that "at that time, the technology was in its early stages and the algorithm's performance was limited." However, the tech has since made "considerable progress," at least according to the commissioner.
The letter points out that the "Notting Hill Carnival is an event that specifically celebrates the British African Caribbean community, yet the MPS is choosing to use a technology with a well-documented history of inaccurate outcomes and racial bias."
Rebecca Vincent, the interim director of Big Brother Watch, told Sky News, "We all want criminals off the streets, but turning [the] carnival into a mass police lineup is not the way to do it."
The Met has reportedly announced that the technology has led to 457 arrests and seven false alerts since January 2025.
While the Met claims that the technology has improved substantially, the concerned groups have demonstrated the adverse effects of LFR on law-abiding citizens. In February 2024 or 2025, Shaun Thompson, a black Londoner coming home from his work at a community outreach program called Street Fathers, was stopped by police outside the London Bridge Station. According to his telling of events, he was told that he was "wanted" and was held for roughly 30 minutes because the software had mistakenly identified him as a suspect. He described this incident with the police as a "stop and search on steroids."
Commissioner Rowley defended the "doubling" of the tech by saying it can be used to "disrupt and deter" the minority of festival attendees who might cause problems, according to the BBC.
"Where we know that LFR can help locate individuals the police need to speak to, and those people pose a public safety risk to the many seeking to enjoy Carnival, it is entirely reasonable to ask — why wouldn't you use it in this context?" he said.
More LFR vans are expected to be rolled out soon in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, and Hampshire, according to Metro. They are already in use by South Wales Police, Essex, and Met Police areas.
Return contacted Big Brother Watch for comment and was referred to its press release page for additional information.
Whistleblower alleges widespread manipulation of DC crime stats, fueling Oversight Committee probe
A whistleblower has reportedly come forward to confirm claims that the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., has been manipulating crime data, a scandal that has led the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to launch its own investigation.
In August, President Donald Trump initiated a federal surge on D.C. streets, citing high crime rates despite the MPD reporting a decline.
'The Committee has obtained credible, alarming information that MPD leadership falsified crime data to deceptively show a decline in violent crime in the District.'
While Trump faces backlash from critics for taking matters into his own hands, a scandal is unfolding regarding whether the police department manipulated the data to make it appear as though crime rates have been declining.
The D.C. Police Union has long accused the MPD of manipulating crime data. Following the union's allegations, the department placed Police Commander Michael Pulliam on paid administrative leave in May. The department is investigating the claims.
"When our members respond to the scene of a felony offense where there is a victim reporting that a felony occurred, inevitably there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up on that scene and direct those members to take a report for a lesser offense," Gregg Pemberton, the chairman of the D.C. Police Union, previously explained to WRC-TV.
"So instead of taking a report for a shooting or a stabbing or a carjacking, they will order that officer to take a report for a theft or an injured person to the hospital or a felony assault, which is not the same type of classification," Pemberton added.
RELATED: DC police commander under investigation for allegedly manipulating crime stats
The allegations of underreported crime trace back to 2020 when MPD Sergeant Charlotte Djossou shared internal documents from two cases with WUSA.
The first case involved an alleged assault in which a man was accused of slashing a woman's face and neck with an unknown object. While the alleged attack could have been classified as an "assault with a dangerous weapon," it was instead recorded as a "simple assault." The first offense is a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while the second offense is a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum sentence of six months in jail.
The second case involved an incident where a man was accused of putting a knife to the neck of his partner. This also could have been classified as a felony assault; instead, it was reported as a misdemeanor "simple assault."
The cases were not prosecuted, according to WUSA.
"It's not OK to lie to the community about what's going on around them," Djossou told the news outlet during her 2020 interview. "That's what I saw happening."
"The commanders and the captains get promoted, and they get awards, when the crime stats are low," she remarked.
Djossou filed a lawsuit against the MPD, claiming that she had faced retaliation for disclosing the alleged underreporting to her supervisors. The lawsuit was settled in June.
Djossou stated that reporters have contacted her since, but she "can't talk to them until I retire" because she is "still a sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department."
RELATED: Fact-check: Legacy media’s bogus defense of DC’s safe-streets narrative crumbles under scrutiny
The Oversight Committee announced on August 25 that it launched an investigation into allegations of manipulated crime stats, revealing that a whistleblower had come forward.
According to the whistleblower, the manipulation was "widespread," directed by "senior MPD officials," and potentially impacts all seven patrol districts.
The Oversight Committee sent a letter to the MPD the same day, requesting information to aid its investigation, including the unredacted settlement agreement between the MPD and Djossou.
The committee has requested transcribed interviews with Pulliam and the current MPD commanders for all seven districts.
"Building on President Trump's successful efforts to restore law and order in the District of Columbia, the House Oversight Committee is carrying out its constitutional duty to oversee D.C. affairs and ensure our nation's capital is safe for all Americans," Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) told Blaze News.
"The Committee has obtained credible, alarming information that MPD leadership falsified crime data to deceptively show a decline in violent crime in the District. MPD has a duty under federal law to accurately report crime to the public, and the Committee is now taking action to investigate these allegations and ensure the safety of D.C. residents and visitors is never compromised," Comer stated.
The MPD did not respond to a request for comment from WUSA.
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Trump demands death penalty for DC murderers
President Donald Trump continues to crack down on crime, this time calling for capital punishment.
During Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Trump said he would be seeking the death penalty for anyone who was found guilty of murder in Washington, D.C. Trump acknowledged the severity of this proposal but said it was a "preventative" measure to significantly improve the safety and quality of life for residents in the nation's capital.
'We have no choice.'
"If somebody kills somebody in the capital — Washington, D.C. — we're going to be seeking the death penalty," Trump said.
"It's a very strong preventative, and everybody that's heard it agrees with it," Trump added.
RELATED: Trump makes a bold push for global competitors to abandon nukes: 'The power is too great'
President Trump: "If anybody murders somebody in Washington, DC, we're going to be seeking the death penalty. We have no choice." pic.twitter.com/2FSPQG7II8
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 26, 2025
"I don't know if we're ready for it in this country, but we have no choice," Trump said. "So in D.C., in Washington, states are going to have to make their own decision, but if somebody kills somebody ... it's the death penalty."
Trump's call to action comes just two weeks after the administration federalized the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard. Before Trump took matters into his own hands, D.C. had the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country, with 27.3 murders for every 100,000 residents in 2024, which is nearly six times higher than New York City.
After Trump took bold action to secure the city, D.C. managed to go nearly two weeks without a homicide.
RELATED: President Trump's DC crime crackdown is getting results
During the Cabinet meeting, Trump addressed NTD News' White House correspondent, Iris Tao, who recounted her own experience with violent crime in D.C.
Over two years ago, Tao said she was robbed at gunpoint and pistol-whipped by a young man in a ski mask in broad daylight, which she said "deeply traumatized" her and her family.
"I'm very grateful to God ... but also to Mr. President," Tao said. "Thank you for now making D.C. safer ... on behalf of my parents and now my baby on the way."
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Trump says Democrats are pleading with him to save their crime-ridden cities: 'They've lost control'
President Donald Trump's effective crackdown on crime in the nation's capital is beginning to catch the attention of his political opponents.
Trump told reporters Friday that he has received calls from Democrats across the country asking him to clean up their cities the same way he did in Washington, D.C. In early August, Trump took bold action by federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying the National Guard, quickly reducing violent crime across the city.
'Half of them got mugged and they don't want to get mugged again.'
"When we're ready, we'll go in and we'll straighten out Chicago just like we did in D.C.," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Chicago is very dangerous. ... I hate to see what's happened to Chicago. Chicago was our greatest city, actually."
"We've already had calls from other cities, quiet calls, calls from Democrats," Trump added. "'We'd love you to come here,' because they've lost control of their cities."
RELATED: Trump to patrol DC streets alongside law enforcement amid crime crackdown
President Trump: "When we're ready, we'll go in and straighten out Chicago just like we did in DC. Chicago was our greatest city, actually. We can clean San Francisco up too. We've already had calls from Democrats in other cities because they've lost control." pic.twitter.com/7PlSV82sS8
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 22, 2025
When asked which Democrats specifically extended the invitation to the president, Trump declined to specify.
"I'm not going to say because I don't want them to lose their elections," Trump said. "But we've had calls from Democrats and calls from people generally: 'We'd love you to come here.' Because we'll straighten out the problems."
Trump clarified that Chicago "will probably be next" after D.C.'s crime is under control, followed by New York City.
RELATED: President Trump's DC crime crackdown is getting results
President Trump announces that the efforts to crackdown on crime in DC will be expanding to other Democrat-run cities: "I think Chicago will be next and then we'll help with New York." pic.twitter.com/UJhtPhfDce
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 22, 2025
"The people in Chicago ... are screaming for us to come," Trump said.
"African-American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, 'Please, President Trump, come to Chicago.' ... I think Chicago will be our next, and then we'll help with New York," he continued.
Trump also highlighted the media's hypocritical coverage of the crime crackdown, pointing out that even his harshest critics are benefiting from the administration's efforts.
"A lot of these people that you see on television, including the people in this audience, they'll say bad things about me," Trump said, pointing to the reporters. "And then they'll say, 'Thank God he's here.' Because half of them got mugged, and they don't want to get mugged again."
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Trump to patrol DC streets alongside law enforcement amid crime crackdown
President Donald Trump is taking matters into his own hands amid efforts to clean up the streets of the nation's capital.
Trump said he will be patrolling Washington, D.C., Thursday night alongside law enforcement to get a firsthand look at the state of crime in the city. Trump's patrol comes as he federalized the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard earlier in the month to rein in violent crime in D.C.
'Within days of Trump's policies going into effect, crime rates plummeted across the city.'
“I’m going to be going out tonight, I think, with the police and with the military, of course," Trump told Todd Starnes Thursday. "So we’re going to do a job. The National Guard is great. They’ve done a fantastic job.”
RELATED: Vance unloads on safety-hating protesters in DC, punches through liberal media rhetoric
— (@)
In 2024, D.C. experienced the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country, at 27.3 per 100,000 residents, which is nearly six times higher than New York City. The most recent figures are also a sharp increase from just over a decade ago, when the homicide rate was 13.9 per 100,000 residents in 2012.
The increase in homicides is part of a greater trend showing a rise in violent crime in D.C. Just last year, there were 29,348 crimes reported in D.C., including 3,469 violent offenses, 1,026 assaults with a dangerous weapon, 2,113 robberies, and 5,139 motor vehicle thefts.
But within days of Trump's policies going into effect, crime rates plummeted across the city.
RELATED: President Trump's DC crime crackdown is getting results
— (@)
Recent reports show that D.C. has officially gone a whole week without a single homicide. Carjackings have also decreased by 83%, robberies have gone down 46%, car thefts have gone down 21%, and violent crime decreased by 22%.
As of Thursday, White House officials said there had been more than 630 arrests made since Trump took action on August 7. Of those arrests, 251 were illegal immigrants and three were known gang members.
"Until 4 days ago, Washington, D.C., was the most unsafe 'city' in the United States, and perhaps the World," Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday. "Now, in just a short period of time, it is perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour! People are flocking to D.C. again, and soon, the beautification will begin!"
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