NEW: DC Police Back Trump’s Decision To ‘Federalize’ Law Enforcement

In a brazen move, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police union announced its members are welcoming the federalization of their agency by the Trump administration, a blow to Mayor Muriel Bowser and liberals who accused the president of not actually caring about crime in the capital city.

In a statement, union Chair Gregg Pemberton praised President Donald Trump’s decision to assume control over the Metropolitan Police Department and swell its ranks with National Guard soldiers and FBI officers, calling it a “critical stopgap” amid “out of control” crime.

“We stand with the President in recognizing that Washington, D.C., cannot continue on this trajectory,” union Chair Gregg Pemberton said in a statement. “Crime is out of control, and our officers are stretched beyond their limits.”

“The federal intervention is a critical stopgap, but the MPD needs proper staffing and support to thrive,” he added.

Recent estimates show that the MPD is about 500 officers short of the union’s recommendation for adequate staffing levels, one of the lowest levels in decades. The force continues to operate with approximately 4,000 officers on its roster, according to The Hill.

Critics have assailed Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for the takeover, citing a decline in crime to argue that a takeover of D.C. is dangerous and unnecessary. Mayor Muriel Bowser responded to Trump’s press conference on Monday, calling his decision “unsettling.”

“The Home Rule Charter requires the mayor to provide the services of MPD during special conditions of an emergency. And we will follow the law. Though there’s a question about the subjectivity of that declaration,” Bowser said.

At issue is the Home Rule Act, passed by Congress in 1973, which allows Washington, D.C. to elect its own leaders and largely manage all municipal affairs. During Trump’s second term, Mayor Bowser has adopted a more diplomatic approach, opting to collaborate with Trump rather than immediately opposing his actions.

Bowser suggested on Monday that Trump’s perception of D.C. is still clouded by the pandemonium he witnessed there during the height of the 2020 pandemic.

“I believe that the president’s view of DC is shaped by his COVID era experience during his first term. And it is true that those were more challenging times related to some issues,” she told a local Fox affiliate.

Pemberton, who has long been a critic of the city council’s priorities, accused council members of driving out “our best officers and hinder(ing) recruitment” following the 2020 passage of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act, which came at the height of calls to defund police departments nationwide, The Hill reported.

“No one on the Council has the courage to repeal this, or any of the other 26 sections that destroyed our police department,” the D.C. Police Union wrote on X on Thursday.