In just a matter of weeks, President Donald Trump’s sweeping federal crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. has already marked a historic milestone: over 1,000 arrests, 111 guns off the streets, and—for the first time in years—12 consecutive days without a single homicide in what was once considered one of the most violent cities in America.
This isn’t rhetoric. This is a transformation backed by numbers, federal muscle, and a clear message: law and order is back.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, now overseeing the federal push in D.C., detailed the surge in arrests—86 just on Sunday—and made it clear that the results speak for themselves. “They can’t be used to shoot people, to kill people,” Pirro said, referencing the confiscated weapons. And she’s right: crime doesn't just “go away.” It’s deterred when criminals know someone’s watching—and ready to act.
This is what effective policing looks like.
FBI Director Kash Patel added fuel to the fire, noting that a quarter of Sunday’s arrests stemmed directly from FBI operations, five of which involved drug busts. “Keep getting after it,” he said—because they are, and it’s working.
It’s easy to see why critics like Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are already on the defensive. After watching crime spiral under soft-on-crime policies and leadership failures, cities like Chicago have become cautionary tales. With 573 homicides in 2024 alone, Chicago continues its 13-year reign as the murder capital of America. And Johnson? He’s trying to downplay Trump’s D.C. success, dismissing it as “uncoordinated” and “unsound.”
That doesn’t fly. Not when residents in D.C. are finally feeling safer. Not when drug dealers and gang members are being hauled off in handcuffs. And certainly not when federal law enforcement is unified and on the ground, doing the job that local officials have long failed to do.
Trump’s operation, quietly launched in March as “Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful,” escalated dramatically this month. On August 11, Trump invoked emergency powers under the Home Rule Act to temporarily seize federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department—a move without precedent in U.S. history.
This wasn’t symbolic. It was strategic.
Federal agencies including the U.S. Marshals, DEA, ATF, Capitol Police, Park Police, and National Guard are now embedded in high-crime neighborhoods. Some Guardsmen are even patrolling armed, reinforcing the message: enough is enough.
And the impact is immediate. Criminals are afraid to act. Residents in long-neglected communities are thanking law enforcement. And the President’s two latest executive orders—the end of cashless bail and a mandate to charge suspects federally—have added real legal teeth to the campaign.