• D.C. Attorney General files lawsuit against Trump's takeover of the police department.
• Trump's administration claims a need for federal control amid a "crime emergency."
• Negotiations led to a revision of the takeover, keeping D.C. police chief in command.
• The conflict raises significant issues regarding the Home Rule Act and local governance.
• Mayor Bowser argues federal actions lack legal basis under existing law.

On August 15, 2025, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb initiated a legal challenge against President Trump’s attempt to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department, arguing that such actions constitute a flagrant overreach of executive power. Schwalb termed the move an affront to local governance, asserting that "the administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home," according to latimes and reuters.

The controversy heightened when Trump announced he would be assigning the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Chief, Terry Cole, as the "emergency police commissioner," which effectively placed the police department under federal oversight. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi justified this move by citing a supposed surge in crime, despite data showing a drop in violent incidents in the capital, as reported by aljazeera and channelnewsasia.

The lawsuit seeks to reaffirm local control over law enforcement and challenges Trump’s authority under the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act, which governs the city’s autonomy. Schwalb stated that the alleged takeover poses "one of the gravest threats to Home Rule that the District has ever faced," according to indiatimes and huffpost.

As negotiations unfolded in court, the Trump administration agreed to a revised arrangement, allowing D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith to remain in command, while limiting Cole's powers. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes indicated doubts about the legitimacy of Trump's authority to oversee the police force, echoing concerns expressed by legal experts regarding the scope of the Home Rule Act's emergency provisions. This new arrangement was reported by reuters and aljazeera.

Within this tense environment, Mayor Muriel Bowser defended local authority, emphasizing a lack of legal provisions empowering federal officials to direct the local police. She asserted that the authority remains with the District, calling the federal actions "brazen," which further ignited the legal confrontation, as noted by dawn and lemonde.