EXCLUSIVE: DC Crime-Fighting Task Force Boasts 60% Decrease in Murder After Trump Crackdown

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Murders in Washington, D.C., are down 60% since President Donald Trump’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force set its sights on tackling the capital’s crime problem.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner joined the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force briefing on Monday to discuss his agency’s partnership with the task force, a source familiar with the meeting told The Daily Signal.

“For too long, our nation’s capital has been defined by lawlessness and disorder,” Turner said in a statement to The Daily Signal. “Under President Trump’s leadership, HUD is restoring safety and accountability in D.C. public housing—ensuring families can live with dignity and security.”

HUD has been a partner in the crime crackdown effort, particularly as it pertains to the safety and security of public housing, the source said.

Trump established the task force dedicated to ridding Washington of crime at the end of March. In August, he invoked the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 to declare an crime emergency in the district, authorizing him to federalize Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department until Sept. 10 and deploy hundreds of National Guard troops there to assist.

National Guard troops will remain in the city until at least February 2026, CNN has reported.

As a result of the task force and the emergency measures, crime in Washington is falling, with murders down more than 60%, robbery down more than 50%, carjacking down more than 70%, and violent crime down 25%, the task force announced at the briefing.

The task force represents a coordinated effort with 28 different law enforcement agencies assisting the Metropolitan Police Department to remove crime from the streets, according to the source.

HUD and city leaders are teaming up on cleanup, enforcement, and housing stabilization. Turner’s involvement is part of Trump’s executive order on Keeping D.C. Safe and Beautiful, the source said.

“Together with our federal, state, and local partners, we’re working to address failed policies that enabled criminal activity and fueled homelessness so D.C. can be safe and beautiful for residents and visitors alike,” Turner told The Daily Signal.

Homeland security adviser Orville Greene is the chairman of the task force that includes representatives from the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security, the FBI, the United States Marshals Service, and others.

Attendees of the briefing in addition to Turner included Capital Area Region Fugitive Task Force Commander Don Snider, Chief Oscar Torres, Chief Michelle Hamilton, and Chief Dave Smith. 

Turner has said in the past that Washington’s high level of crime prevents people from buying homes and opening businesses in the city.

“If you don’t feel safe in your neighborhood, you won’t want to buy a home or open a business,” he said Aug. 11. “Crime halts revitalization in its tracks.”

Turner’s visit to the Monday briefing follows the news that the Trump administration is expanding the task force through a new hiring portal that’s open to law enforcement and civilians across the country, according to Fox News Digital.

The administration launched the portal, SAFEDC.GOV, last week, asking law enforcement officers, military veterans, and civilians to apply to join the federal agencies involved in the task force. 

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