Even though the federal takeover of D.C.’s police department was announced Monday, it actually began Aug. 7, according to federal law enforcement sources.

It is being built on a tightly scripted, highly centralized structure designed for rapid coordination across multiple agencies.

A senior law enforcement source said the operation began with a large briefing at an unnamed federal police headquarters building that brought together every federal police agency for advance notice of the presidential announcement Monday. That signaled that the White House sought to align federal law enforcement entities under a common plan before making the move public.

A daily, 7 p.m. briefing, at a designated location will serve as the backbone of the operation. These meetings, the senior law enforcement

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