D.C. Files Lawsuit Against Trump Administration for Attempting to Address Their Crime Issue

DC Attorney General Sues Over Federal Acquisition of MPD

On Friday morning, Brian Schwarb, the Attorney General for Washington, DC, initiated a federal lawsuit concerning the Trump administration’s acquisition of the Columbia region, particularly focusing on the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

This legal action followed a statement made by Attorney General Pam Bondy, who announced Terry Cole as the “Emergency Police Commissioner” for MPD. Schwarb emphasized that the aim of the lawsuit is to prevent, or block, what he considers an illegal federal takeover of DC Police, arguing that the administration is misusing its temporary powers under the law. In his words, it’s a significant threat to the home rule of DC, and he is determined to combat it.

In a post on social media, Schwarb stated, “We are suing to stop the federal takeover of the DC Police. By illegally declaring the acquisition of MPD, the administration is abusing its temporary limited powers under the law. This is the most serious threat to the home rules that DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”

Moreover, the lawsuit highlights Schwarb’s view that Trump’s declarations regarding crime in the capital are exaggerated and don’t match reality. He pointed to public data from both federal and local sources demonstrating a notable decline in violent crime across the district.

Schwarb referenced statistics from the Department of Justice released earlier this year, which indicated a 35% drop in total violent crime in the District of Columbia from 2023 to 2024, marking a low not seen in over 30 years. While this seems significant, data from local police exclude certain violent crimes like aggravated assaults, which complicates the narrative. There are claims that assaults without weapons or felony assaults are still categorized as violent under DC law, but not all are represented in local crime statistics.

Complicating the situation further, FBI data indicates that while there was only a 10% decrease in violent crime for 2024, homicide numbers have actually surpassed pre-COVID figures, excluding 2021 when DC reported incomplete data.