Bowser calls for 'hundreds more police' as Trump’s federal control of DC police winds down

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday that the city’s police force must expand significantly. This comes as the federal oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department under President Donald Trump is set to end next week.

Bowser, speaking at a press conference, announced a new contract with the DC Fraternal Order of Police to strengthen officer retention and recruitment. "Since I have been mayor, in the last ten years, it has been my priority to ensure that we're hiring the best of the best. That we are retaining the officers that we need to keep DC safe. And we've always believed that getting back to 4,000 officers is our goal. So, currently, we have a lot of room to grow our department," she said.

She said that the city has brought in "135 new recruits and welcomed 124 cadets into our pipeline" this year, but stressed the department remains short-staffed. "We need to add hundreds more police. We're currently at 3,188 sworn officers," Bowser said, adding that the new agreement includes "a 13% pay increase for our officers, sergeants, lieutenants and above, which will begin October 1st of this year," she noted, according to Fox News.

The comments come as Trump’s public safety emergency, declared in early August under Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approaches its Sept. 10 expiration date. That order temporarily placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal authority.

On Tuesday, Bowser’s office issued guidance extending the role of the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center, which has managed coordination with federal agencies since the emergency began.

"During and after the presidential emergency, the SBEOC will manage the District’s response, coordinate centralized communications, and ensure coordination with federal law enforcement to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District," the order read.

The order also showed the impact of the federal intervention: "Since August 11, 2025, due to the cooperative efforts between District and federal officials, violent crime in the District has noticeably decreased."

Bowser stressed that her latest order was not an extension of the emergency powers. "Let me tell you without equivocation that the mayor's order does not extend the Trump emergency. In fact, it does the exact opposite. What it does is [it] lays out a framework for how we will exit the emergency," she said. "The emergency ends on Sept. 10. The only way it can be extended legally is by the Congress. So, I want the message to be clear to the Congress: We have a framework to request or use federal resources in our city. We don't need a presidential emergency."