DC sues over federal takeover of MPD

DC seeks to block orders that would place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control, arguing the move exceeds statutory authority and local self-government.

DC attorney general challenges federal takeover of MPD

DC Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb filed a federal lawsuit on Friday challenging Trump administration orders that would place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control. The suit argues these actions exceed the limits on requesting federal services for the city, which it says should be temporary and emergency in nature under the Home Rule Act. The filing asserts the orders replace local leadership without proper congressional authorization and threaten the district’s autonomy.

Bondi announced that DEA Administrator Terry Cole would serve as the emergency police commissioner for MPD during the takeover, trumping the city’s Police Chief Pamela Smith. Schwalb’s office contends the arrangement amounts to a hostile takeover and disrupts local governance while relying on powers that Congress did not grant for permanent policing control.

The fight centers on the long-standing question of how much power the federal government can exert in a city that governs itself. The Home Rule Act is meant to give DC local authority, with emergency federal assistance only as a stopgap. If the courts back the administration, it could set a precedent for how far federal agencies can replace local leadership in policing matters. The clash also tests political nerves in a moment of heightened national tension around crime, governance, and federal authority.

For DC residents, the case foregrounds a practical concern: who makes day-to-day policing decisions and how will residents judge the safety and accountability of a force partly run from outside the district? The legal dispute could spill into budget debates, elections, and broader debates about the balance between local autonomy and federal intervention in local affairs.

Highlights

The outcome will reverberate beyond MPD and shape debates about who controls local security.