DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The Ohio National Guard is heading to Washington, D.C.
According to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, approximately 150 military police with the guard are expected to arrive in the nation’s capital in the coming days.
The governor said the request came from Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll.
“These Ohio National Guard members will carry out presence patrols and serve as added security,” said DeWine. “None of these military police members are currently serving as law enforcement officers in the state of Ohio.”
President Donald Trump announced Monday he was taking federal control of the Washington, D.C., police department and deploying the National Guard in the nation’s capital in an effort to crack down on crime.
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore. We’re not going to take it,” Trump said.
Analysis by The Associated Press, however, suggested Trump exaggerated or misstated many of the facts surrounding public safety in Washington, where the crime rate has fallen in recent years, while leaving out much of the context.
Statistics published by Washington’s Metropolitan Police contradict the president and show violent crime has dropped in Washington since a post-pandemic peak in 2023.
According to the data, homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26% compared with this time a year ago.
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