In her National Catholic Reporter op-ed, Professor Mary Graw Leary of Catholic Law draws on her expertise as a victims' rights advocate and former assistant U.S. attorney to examine both President Donald Trump's unprecedented directive to Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under the Home Rule Act and the alarm that its critics are sounding. She argues the claimed ability to “take over” the police exceeds the Act's legal limits, which allow federal use of MPD only in narrowly defined emergencies. Trump’s claims of a "rising crime" are contradicted by data showing significant declines in violent crime in D.C. over the past two years. A federal judge has already agreed with some of the DC Attorney General’s legal challenges to the order, forcing modifications, yet the president’s directive remains in place.

Leary also questions the order’s execution and intent, noting its focus on federal buildings rather than high-crime neighborhoods. She highlights the administration’s failure to invest in proven federal-local crime reduction partnerships, instead cutting funding for such programs. Citing Pope Francis’ emphasis on nonviolence and democratic collaboration, Leary warns that the order’s overreach and misaligned priorities risk advancing authoritarianism and undermining democracy, rather than effectively addressing public safety.

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