Gary Fields, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Washington Metropolitan Police investigate near the U.S. Capitol, Oct. 19, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

DC’s inspector general is investigating police crime statistics, the latest probe against the force

January 12, 2026

Washington’s inspector general’s office has launched an investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department’s crime data reporting system. The probe aims to assess how the department collects, classifies and reports District of Columbia crime statistics. This comes after recent scrutiny and a report by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The report found former police Chief Pamela Smith pressured commanders to manipulate data to lower crime rates. A separate investigation by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro also found misclassified reports. Smith disputes the findings that crime statistics were manipulated during her tenure. Interim police Chief Jeffery Carroll has spelled out steps meant to address the classification of crimes.

Metropolitan Police Department officers salute as a van carrying the body of MPD officer Terry Bennett, who died on Wednesday, weeks after being struck by a motorist, is driven past the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Washington Metropolitan Police officer dies from injuries suffered while helping stranded motorist

January 8, 2026

A Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer struck by a car last month while helping a stranded motorist has died from his injuries, the department announced. Terry Bennett, 32, had been hospitalized since December 23 when he was struck by a passing vehicle as he helped a motorist who ran out of gas. The driver who hit him remained at the scene. No charges have been filed but the incident remains under investigation, a MPD spokesman said. Bennett, survived by his wife and son, is the 127th line of duty death in the department’s 164-year history.

National Guard patrol in the Lincoln Memorial, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. The Washington Monument is seen in the background. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Trump’s National Guard deployment in Washington can continue for now, an appeals court says

December 17, 2025

A federal appeals court says the National Guard deployment in the nation’s capital can continue for now. The decision Wednesday stays a lower-court ruling that had ordered an end to the troops’ presence. The appeals court panel ruled that President Donald Trump may prevail in his argument that the president “possesses a unique power” to mobilize the Guard in Washington. The ruling reaffirms that residents and visitors to the District of Columbia will routinely see Guard members well into 2026.

Executive Assistant Chief, Metropolitan Police Department Jeffery Carroll attends a press conference following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Jeffery Carroll named interim DC police chief as federal law enforcement surge continues

December 17, 2025

Veteran police officer Jeffery Carroll is taking over as interim chief of Washington’s police force. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the change Wednesday after the department’s leader stepped down earlier this month. Carroll joined the Metropolitan Police Department in 2002 and currently manages day-to-day operations as executive assistant chief of specialized operations. Carroll’s profile has risen recently after joining Bowser at press conferences about a shooting of two National Guard members near the White House. Carroll takes over during a tumultuous time, with questions about crime statistics and the department’s role in federal immigration enforcement. The Democratic mayor has announced she won’t seek reelection.

Members of the District of Columbia National Guard pick up trash by the Capitol reflecting pool, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Court decision calling for end to National Guard deployment in DC paused by appeals court

December 4, 2025

A U.S. District Court decision to end the deployment of National Guard members to Washington, D.C., is on hold. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit temporarily paused the lower court ruling that had called for an end to the deployment of troops. The stay pauses the implementation of U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb’s November 20 opinion and order. Cobb had concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. National Guard members have been in the city since August, the result of an executive order by President Donald Trump to help combat crime.

National Guard soldiers patrol on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Some DC residents, wary of Trump’s motives, uneasily back parts of the National Guard deployment

October 23, 2025

The hundreds of National Guard troops still deployed to Washington, D.C., have unnerved some residents. But aspects of the Washington deployment have elicited a measure of approval among some in the city. The District of Columbia National Guard has been involved in community beautification projects since August, part of a federal law enforcement intervention initiated by President Donald Trump. The deployment has sparked mixed feelings, with some viewing it as presidential overreach. Local officials are trying to balance opposing the deployment with acknowledging the benefits of the Guard’s community work. The deployment continues to be a contentious issue, with a lawsuit challenging it set to be heard on Friday.

FILE - Students line up to vote at a campus polling place at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Why a Supreme Court case from Louisiana will matter for the future of the Voting Rights Act

October 15, 2025

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is the primary way plaintiffs can challenge racially discriminatory election practices. The Supreme Court on Wednesday is hearing arguments in a Section 2 case out of Louisiana. It’s a rehearing of a lawsuit over Louisiana’s redrawn congressional map. At the heart of this case is whether the remedy for racially discriminatory voting and election practices violates the U.S. Constitution. A ruling against Section 2 would leave the 60-year-old law largely neutered, after the court overturned another of its core provisions 12 years ago. A ruling is due next year.

U.S. Capitol Police monitor the perimeter of the Capitol on the ninth day of the government shutdown, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Most states with National Guard troops in DC plan to withdraw this fall

October 9, 2025

More than half the states contributing National Guard troops to President Trump’s federal law enforcement initiative in Washington, D.C. have set target dates for withdrawal later this fall. The dates, in late October and November, could be extended. The planned withdrawals suggest the federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital could be heading toward a drawdown or change in scope. Trump has taken his push to send the military to other American cities, including Chicago and Portland, which have pushed back with legal action. The National Guard was activated in D.C. in August after Trump issued an executive order proclaiming an emergency over crime concerns.

National Guard soldiers salute as President Donald Trump's motorcade drives by, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Lawsuit against Trump’s Washington National Guard deployment exposes country’s deep partisan divide

October 8, 2025

A courtroom in Washington has become the latest battleground over President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement intervention. A lawsuit challenges the ongoing National Guard deployment in the nation’s capital. States have taken sides along party lines, with 23 Republican-led states supporting the Trump administration and 22 Democratic-led states backing Washington’s opposition. The lawsuit was filed by Washington’s attorney general and argues the deployment is unlawful and unconstitutional. The case highlights deep divisions over Trump’s use of military forces in cities. States that could face their own deployments are closely watching the case. Legal experts differ over how they think the case will play out. Oral arguments begin Oct. 24.

Members of the South Carolina National Guard patrol with the Lincoln Monument in the background, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Takeaways from Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in DC as his emergency order is set to expire

September 9, 2025

President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C., has reportedly reduced crime, with fewer guns on the streets and fewer homeless encampments. Official figures show over 2,100 arrests and the dismantling of 50 homeless camps. However, the operation has sparked fear among some residents, changing their perception of their place in the U.S. The city has been under an emergency declaration for 30 days. Congress isn’t expected to renew the orders that federalized the local police force but the National Guard is still deployed. As Chicago and Baltimore face similar operations, the future of the D.C. surge remains uncertain.

Members of the District of Columbia National Guard patrol Union Station, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Signaling collaboration, DC mayor orders emergency operations center kept open to work with feds

September 2, 2025

In a nod to continuing collaboration, the mayor of Washington, D.C., issued an order to continue the work of an emergency operations center the city set up in response to the federal law enforcement surge ordered by President Donald Trump. The order from Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is walking a tightrope between portions of her constituency and her relationship with Trump’s White House, allows the center to continue managing the city’s response. The order said the so-called “Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC)” will work with a number of federal agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Park Police, the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Secret Service.

President Donald Trump pauses while speaking during an announcement about Apple with Apple CEO Tim Cook in the Oval Office, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Judge issues temporary injunction against Trump administration cancellation of humanities grants

August 6, 2025

A federal judge in Oregon has issued an injunction temporarily stopping the mass cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities grants to humanities councils around the country. Judge Michael H. Simon says the cancellations were likely unconstitutional and the lawsuit challenging the actions would likely succeed on merits. The judge says the defendants’ conduct reflects a “deliberate decision to flout Congressional command and refuse to spend appropriated funds.” The Department of Government Efficiency and the National Endowment for the Humanities canceled dozens of grants to state and local humanities’ councils in April as part of President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting efforts.

FILE - Luci Baines Johnson looks at the desk May 16, 2023, on display at the LBJ Presidential Library, that President Lyndon B. Johnson sat at in the President's Room at the U.S. Capitol to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965, on Aug. 6, 1965. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman, File)

Things to know about the Voting Rights Act and the cases that could unravel it

August 6, 2025

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended the discriminatory practices against Black voters that were prevalent in many states. That discrimination included poll taxes and literacy tests that allowed those voters to be turned away. The law also established a process known as preclearance, which required that all or parts of 15 states with a history of discriminatory practices in voting get federal approval before making changes to the way they hold elections. The Supreme Court removed that pillar in 2013. Cases before the current court could undo most of what’s left of the law.

FILE - Whitney Cooper casts her ballot on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Canton, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, file)

Court restricts who can bring voting rights challenges in a case involving voters with disabilities

July 29, 2025

A federal appeals court panel has ruled that private individuals and organizations cannot bring voting rights cases under a section of the law that allows others to assist voters who are blind, have disabilities or are unable to read. It’s the latest ruling from the St. Louis-based 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, saying only the government can bring lawsuits alleging violations of the Voting Rights Act. The findings upend decades of precedent and will likely be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Monday’s ruling followed the reasoning of another 8th Circuit panel in a previous case from 2023.

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Judge issues temporary injunction against Trump administration cancellation of humanities grants

July 26, 2025

A district court judge in New York has issued a preliminary injunction stopping the mass cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities grants to members of the Authors Guild on the grounds that their First Amendment rights were violated. Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York stayed the mass cancellations of grants previously awarded to guild members and ordered that any funds associated with the grants not be reobligated until a trial on the merits of the case is held. The judge said several of the recipients’ grants had been cancelled because their work was connected to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Appeals court puts peace institute back in Trump administration hands with stay of lower court

June 27, 2025

A federal appeals court is staying a lower court ruling that blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with dismantling the U.S. Institute of Peace. The organization was taken over in March by the Department of Government Efficiency, then led by Elon Musk. The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell that allowed USIP to regain control of its headquarters and operation while the government appealed her ruling. Howell had denied a government request for a stay of her opinion. The appeals court said the government had shown it would be likely to succeed on the merits of its appeal.

U.S. Institute of Peace employees hold an impromptu celebration on the steps of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Monday, May 19, 2025, in Washington, after federal district Judge Beryl A. Howell blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with dismantling the organization. (AP Photo/Gary Fields)

Judge denies stay request, lets ruling stand blocking DOGE efforts to shut down peace institute

May 23, 2025

A federal judge has denied the Trump administration’s request that she stay her May 19 ruling that returned control of the U.S. Institute of Peace back to its acting president and board. In a seven-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell said Friday that the government did not meet any of the four requirements for a stay, including a “strong showing” of whether its request could succeed on the merits. Howell also denied a request by the government that she approve a two-day administrative stay to allow an appeal to the appeals court for the District of Columbia

Institute of Peace reclaims its headquarters after court win over Musk’s cost-cutting team

May 21, 2025

The U.S. Institute of Peace has retaken control of its headquarters, two days after a federal judge said the firing of its board and employees by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency was illegal. The institute’s acting president, George Moose, entered its headquarters on Wednesday with private security and the institute’s outside attorney for the first time since being escorted off the premises during the DOGE takeover. Moose and most of the institute’s board were fired in March, part of the mass slashing of the federal workforce spearheaded by Musk. Speaking after a short examination of the headquarters, Moose said all appeared to be in order: “Things look to be in pretty good shape,” he says.

Gary Fields.