One of the reasons President Donald Trump says he's taking over the policing of Washington D.C. is because of what he calls "roving mobs of wild youth." U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro echoed the president's remarks and explained that under current laws she would have difficulty prosecuting those under 17 years old for crimes they are suspected of committing.
"The president is going to do everything we need to do to make sure that these emboldened criminals understand: We see you. We're watching you and we're going to change the law to catch you," Pirro said at a news conference.
The administration says it's justified in bringing the National Guard to help curb crime in D.C. But legal experts tell Scripps News there's no need for the military to step in to help, or for the U.S. Attorney in D.C. to need expanded powers.
Data from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. shows violent crime is down about 26% so far this year when compared to the same time last year.
The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, a bipartisan, independent government agency, collects data on arrests of young people in D.C. Its last two years of full data show in 2024, 496 young people were arrested. In 2023, 641 people were arrested. Arrest rates were lower in preceding years, during a period where the COVID-19 pandemic lowered crime rates across the board.
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"The reality of it is number one, the situation on the ground in D.C. doesn't require that. Youth arrests are down," said Eduardo Ferrer, an associate professor at Georgetown Law School. "Number two, it would actually undermine public safety. We know from research that young people who are charged in adult court are actually more likely to reoffend, which is the exact opposite of what we want. We want young people to be rehabilitated, to get on the right track, to not commit more offenses."
Last week, new data from the FBI regarding violent crime across the United States showed the overall rate of such crime has declined about 4.5% in 2024 compared to 2023.
