Gregg Pemberton, chair of the DC Police Union, has criticized D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb for claiming that crime in the District is out of control. Schwalb argued that the concept of crime being down is an old trope and that the police are facing a continuous increase in armed carjackings, stabbings, robberies, shootings, and homicides. Schwalb responded by stating that he believes Pemberton’s talking points are wrong and that the city is moving in the right direction under local control, policies, and leadership. Schwalb also emphasized that the police are working together to reduce crime to a zero number.
Trump announced on Monday that he would take federal control of D.C.’s police department and deploy the National Guard to fight crime. Trump emphasized that the city has been overtaken by violent gangs, bloodthirsty criminals, and homeless people. Schwalb defended the Metropolitan Police Department via the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act’s Section 740, which was passed in the 1970s to give D.C. control over its local affairs.
