DC Mayor Bowser 'greatly appreciates' fed assistance in crime crackdown

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said that she "greatly appreciate[s]" federal officers assisting the city's police in cracking down on crime.

"We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [the Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city," Bowser said during a Wednesday press conference. "The most significant thing that we are highlighting today is the area of crime that was most troubling for us in 2023. Now we have driven it down over the last years ... but for carjackings, the difference between this 20-day period of this federal surge and last year represents a 87% reduction in carjackings in Washington, D.C.

"We know that when carjackings go down, when the use of gun goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer. So this surge has been important to us for that reason," she added.

President Donald Trump earlier this month implemented a federal takeover of the city's law enforcement, sending federal officers and the National Guard to assist MPD in stopping crime and arresting criminals.

Robberies have dropped 42% during the first two weeks of Trump's crackdown, according to the DC Police Union on Monday.