The Brief Trump places D.C. police under federal control, citing violent crime concerns. Move comes despite data showing overall crime in D.C. is down. After months of warnings, President Donald Trump has invoked the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control, citing the need to combat violent crime in the nation’s capital. The D.C. Police Union expressed conditional support for the federal takeover, saying it backs the Trump administration’s plan as long as it remains temporary. Extending federal control beyond 30 days would require an act of Congress.