ASHRAF KHALIL and COLLIN BINKLEY.

Armed South Carolina National Guardsmen patrol near the Washington Monument, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Trump’s law enforcement surge is alienating DC residents, senior officers say

A pair of senior Washington, D.C., police commanders acknowledged that the ongoing federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital is alienating the population and damaging community relationships. Sixth District Commander Jaron Hickman said the effort is “getting some violent people off the streets — but in the long run, at what cost?” Hickman and Seventh District Commander James Boteler spoke Tuesday before about 50 citizens at a meeting of the Anacostia Community Council. The Tuesday 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.

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