Justin Keener, who leads political group Americans for Public Safety, is a Texas-based crime and safety expert. After demanding safer streets for decades, he cheered for the massive law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C. that dramatically dropped violent crimes there almost overnight.
“This is a truly unique effort,” he says, “where you're surging law enforcement – not just the National Guard but DEA, ATF, FBI, federal agencies – coming in and really focusing. And that has been shown to be effective.”
President Trump used his executive authority in a federal law, the Home Rule Act, to send the National Guard and federal agents into the most dangerous city wards in Washington, D.C. He also appointed the top DEA official to lead the Washington Metropolitan Police and push the police chief aside.
That presidential authority is temporary, however, and it expired after 30 days on Sept. 11 because Congress did not pass a joint resolution to extend it.
President Trump is eyeing similar crime crackdowns around the country, such as Chicago, but he is facing political opposition and legal barriers such as the Posse Comitatus Act.
After putting aside Chicago, at least for now, he signed an executive order Sept. 15 creating a Memphis Safe Task Force for that crime-plagued Tennessee city.
According to FBI statistics, Memphis had 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2024, making it one of the highest rates of any U.S. city.
Asked what happens when the extra manpower is gone, Keener says it’s fair to ask if crime will increase in neighborhoods that are now safer.
“My hope is that these local mayors and state governors embrace the opportunity for partnerships,” he says, “because that's what the public expects and deserves.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser opposed Trump’s executive action but has also praised the crime crackdown.
Anticipating the deadline, she signed an order to continue cooperation with numerous federal agencies and the Metropolitan Police Department. The order acknowledges that “violent crime in the District has noticeably decreased” since August 11.
