News Release

NACDL Blasts Federalization of DC Police as Authoritarian Security Theater

Nation's Criminal Defense Bar calls the president's action a "pretextual photo op" and an assault on marginalized communities, citing a demonstrable decline in crime rates

Washington, DC (August 12, 2025) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) issued a sharp condemnation of the administration's decision to deploy the DC National Guard and seize control of the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department, calling the maneuvers a dangerous overreach. During a press conference on August 11, 2025, President Trump stated that the DC police would be "allowed to do whatever the hell they want"  in the face of what he described as provocations. Trump suggested police brutality, claiming, "They fight back until you knock the hell out of them, because it's the only language they understand."

"The federalization of the D.C. police and deployment of the National Guard is a pretextual photo op and a dangerous distraction," said NACDL President Andrew Birrell. "The president's invocation of the D.C. Home Rule Act for a phony emergency is a clear abuse of power and an assault on the city's right to self-governance, especially as crime statistics show a significant decline. This action is a glimpse of what could be in store for other cities, where federal power is weaponized against local communities and the independence of the criminal legal system is sacrificed for political theater. When the National Guard, who lack expertise in police procedures, de-escalation, and due process, are deployed to city streets on a murky mission, it creates an environment ripe for constitutional violations and poses a significant risk to the rights of all residents, especially in marginalized and vulnerable communities."

Lisa Wayne, NACDL Executive Director, added: "This maneuver to federalize DC police tramples on democratic principles and disregards the will of a community with a right to self-governance. This authoritarian power grab is an unproductive provocation, considering DC's crime rates are at a 30-year low. This act of contempt for local autonomy targets a diverse population that is over 40% Black and does not want it. Furthermore, it will disproportionately harm the district's unhoused residents, who are often criminalized for their circumstances. The NACDL will fiercely defend the rights of all people against this erosion of due process and the weaponization of law enforcement."

Contacts

Jonathan Hutson, NACDL Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications, 202-480-5343 or jhutson@nacdl.org

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.

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