Hegseth Authorizes National Guard Patrol Cars, Tactical Vehicles and Boats in DC as Council Presses Five Governors to Pull Troops

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has expanded the equipment the National Guard can use on Washington's streets and waters. The authorization, signed Oct. 29, was confirmed to reporters by Pentagon officials this week.

The guidance "authorizes the use of up to 60 marked patrol cars, military tactical vehicles, up to 20 light towers and generators, and D.C. National Guard maritime boat assets in support of federal and local law enforcement operations," a War Department official said. The official tied it to the White House's "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful" mission.

What the memos allow

Two memos, obtained by the Associated Press, spell out the limits. Patrol cars must be marked "National Guard," and troops must be in uniform. High-speed chases are barred.

Politico, which first reported the authorization, said the memo specifies Humvees and light medium tactical vehicles. It also reported that troops may not pursue suspects or make arrests from the vehicles, and that the vehicles are authorized through the end of the year.

Two National Guard patrol boats will provide "perimeter security" for police going after suspected gang leaders and drug traffickers in Anacostia. Federal officers "must always be on board" to make an arrest if a suspect jumps in the water, according to the memo as reported by Politico. The boats may not be used to surveil U.S. citizens.

Guard members supporting anti-gang and drug operations will now be able to carry rifles as well as pistols, but not in Metro rail stations, according to the AP. Hegseth is also continuing to provide six analysts to "address organized drug distribution within D.C."

Another memo gives the U.S. Marshals Service use of the D.C. Guard's 260th Special Purpose Brigade, a unit that has functioned as a quick reaction force.

The maximum Guard presence stays at 3,500, per the memos. That is down from a summertime peak of about 5,000 around the July Fourth and 250th anniversary events. Roughly 3,000 to 3,100 troops are in the city now.

Timing and the open question of why

The administration has not publicly explained why it is adding vehicles and boats now. The memo points back to President Trump's declared "crime emergency" in the capital.

The memo was signed Oct. 29, five days before the Nov. 3 midterms. It cannot have been a response to the results, even though it became public days after them.

Emily Cassometus, an assistant professor of law at the University of the District of Columbia, called it "a clear escalation." She told NBC Washington she is concerned it is happening "right after the election on Tuesday."

The group Free DC called the troops a force "to protect the Trump regime, no one else," after what it counted as 451 days of occupation.

The council's push

At a Thursday hearing on federal law enforcement and military activity in the city, Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who chairs the public safety committee, asked newly elected Democratic governors to withdraw their troops. She named Gina Hinojosa of Texas, Amy Acton of Ohio, Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia, Rob Sand of Iowa and Aaron Ford of Nevada.

Those five states account for 628 of the Guard members in the District, Pinto said. She plans to send a letter on behalf of the council and wants withdrawal orders on each governor's first day in office.

"They should not be here," Pinto said. "They should be in their home states where they signed up to serve." She also called the deployment "un-American" and said "after Tuesday night, the tide is turning."

Pinto cited an October listening session at Bard High School in Ward 8. Students there described armed troops staging near school entrances and bus stops. She also noted troops were seen near ballot drop boxes.

She wants congressional Democrats, who take the House and Senate majorities in January, to investigate federal operations in the city. Her list includes rules requiring identifying badges and body cameras and barring face coverings for federal personnel on District streets.

The crime record and the cost

The administration and the FBI point to results. The FBI has touted about 6,000 arrests and a 44% drop in homicides one year into the crackdown.

Critics dispute how much of the decline belongs to the deployment. Crime in the District was already falling before the federal surge, and the degree to which the Guard accelerated that is contested.

A May study by the Niskanen Center found the Guard's presence helped reduce opportunistic property crime. The Hill reports that several studies, including Niskanen's, have not found a comparable effect on violent crime. Critics also project the deployment will cost about $2.1 billion through the end of Trump's second term, and note that Guard members cannot make arrests and largely patrol lower-crime neighborhoods and tourist areas.

The Guard has had its own problems. AP reports a Georgia serviceman was arrested for pulling a gun on a fellow Guard member, another member was arrested for carrying an unauthorized firearm, and a Guardsman was shot while trying to break up a fight.

The Justice Department has argued that the D.C. Council has no power to move the Guard.

What comes next

The incoming governors have not said whether they will recall troops on taking office. The administration has not said how it would respond if they do.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has challenged the legality of deploying out-of-state Guard units. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has no deadline to rule, so a decision could land at any time. Council leaders plan to coordinate next steps with Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George and Delegate-elect Robert White.