President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday placing Washington DC’s police force under federal control, invoking emergency powers that face potential constitutional challenges over scope, duration and procedural safeguards.

The order cites Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act , which grants the president authority over local police during “special conditions of an emergency nature.” Its status as a federal district rather than a state gives the federal government unique oversight authority over DC.

Notably, the statute requires genuine emergency conditions that threaten federal operations, not general public safety concerns. If challenged, the Trump Administration would likely have to convince a court that DC’s crime statistics truly constitute the type o

See Full Page