The law Trump invoked applies only to the District of Columbia because it lacks a governor to approve or deny the federal intervention. “Washington, D.C. is in a unique position and is uniquely powerless vis-à-vis the federal government,” Chertoff says.

The Metropolitan Police along with federal agencies tasked with helping curb crime in the nation’s capital are scrambling to figure out roles and strategy following President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a crime emergency and federalize DC’s police force,