FBI Deploys 120 Agents to Washington DC Streets Amid Crime Crackdown

President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of up to 120 FBI agents, primarily from the Washington Field Office, to assist local law enforcement in Washington, D.C., by conducting overnight patrols and supporting traffic stops to combat violent crime and carjackings. This federal intervention, part of Trump's broader crackdown on crime and homelessness, includes efforts by the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force to clear homeless encampments and enforce quality-of-life laws. The agents reassigned come from divisions such as counterintelligence and public corruption and typically lack training for street-level law enforcement tasks, raising concerns about their effectiveness and safety. Despite Trump's portrayal of the city as plagued by violent crime, local police data show a decline in such incidents, and the D.C. mayor has disputed the administration's characterization. The Trump administration has not coordinated with the D.C. police department on deploying these federal resources, which has caused frustration among both local officials and some FBI agents. The move reflects an extraordinary assertion of federal authority over the city, a federal district with limited self-governance, raising constitutional and political questions about the potential federal takeover of municipal policing.