Trump's law enforcement surge is alienating DC residents, senior
officers say
[August 27, 2025]
By ASHRAF KHALIL and COLLIN BINKLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — A pair of senior Washington, D.C., police commanders
acknowledged Tuesday that the ongoing federal law enforcement surge in
the nation’s capital is alienating the population and damaging community
relationships that will have to be mended in the future.
“What relationships do we have to repair once this surge is over? I’m
prepared to do that. I’m prepared to have those long, tough
conversations. But I know it’s going to be tough,” said Sixth District
Commander Jaron Hickman. “We are getting some violent people off the
streets — but in the long run, at what cost?”
Elsewhere in the city, students started to settle into the start of a
new school year, which was shadowed by anxieties over increased
immigration enforcement. Volunteers in some neighborhoods helped walk
children to school as social media was abuzz with reports of sightings
of federal officers.
Hickman and Seventh District Commander James Boteler spoke Tuesday
before about 50 citizens at a meeting of the Anacostia Community
Council. The appearance had been scheduled well before President Donald
Trump took over the Metropolitan Police Department and flooded the
capital with federal law enforcement agents and National Guard troops.
D.C.'s police department faces a complex situation
The ongoing consequences of Trump's surge dominated the commanders'
45-minute Q&A session. Both commanders deferred on some of the more
pointed questions asked by the audience. But both also offered revealing
glimpses into the complexity of the situation faced by the police
department.
“I have my own feelings but I’m also non-partisan. I have to come to
work every day regardless of who’s sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,”
Boteler said. “I know Chief Pamela Smith and her entire executive staff
is keenly aware of what people are feeling in the community. Because
we’re talking about it every single day.”
Hickman said he wrote a mass email to the 302 officers under his command
when Trump first launched his takeover of the department earlier this
month. His message: “You have morals. We have policies. If you see
something that doesn’t feel right, you should be speaking up.”
Yet Hickman said it was discouraging to see some checkpoints and arrests
that he felt were unnecessary.
“It’s disheartening as a district commander, I can’t get out of my car
off-duty and say ‘Man, you guys aren’t needed here,'” he said. “I don’t
know if that provides you with any comfort. I’m just being honest with
you.”
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Armed South Carolina National Guardsmen patrol near the Washington
Monument, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia
Demaree Nikhinson)
Visitors' reactions to Guard presence are mixed
A few miles away near the Washington Monument, visitors had mixed
reactions to the National Guard troops who have become a regular
presence around the National Mall. Some troops now carry firearms
following a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Maine resident Patricia Sylvester carried a sign that read “What do
you stand for?” as National Guard troops milled nearby.
“My feeling is that it’s an occupation, and that it is not about
crime,” Sylvester said. “I think it’s a power move. I’ve said to
them, because I talked to the National Guard, I’ve said, ‘This
doesn’t make me feel safer.’”
Dan Gehrke, visiting from Wisconsin with his wife and children, said
the troops were a welcome presence.
“You can see different cities all over the United States that are
having problems,” Gehrke said. "And I think that anything that we
can do to make the cities of the United State safer is better.”
Some of the District's schools appeared to be trying to make it as
normal as possible on the second day of classes. Outside one
elementary school, staff greeted children with upbeat music and
escorted them from school buses into the building. At some other
schools, neighbors organized demonstrations to show support for
immigrant families.
It was too soon to know whether the law enforcement surge had led to
a significant decrease in attendance as some have feared. The school
district did not provide attendance data but said it is sharing
safety guidance for students “as they commute to and from their
school campuses this week and beyond.”
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Associated Press journalist Mike Pesoli contributed reporting.
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