At least one high-ranking officer has been suspended so far over the disturbing allegations, which the DC Police Union has said effectively reflect standard operating procedure.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a directive issued Thursday evening that DEA boss Terry Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police.” The Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders,

The federal government takes control of Washington DC police operations as DEA Administrator Terry Cole seeks to enforce immigration compliance and reduce crime.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) compared President Trump’s police takeover in Washington, D.C., to the post-Reconstruction era in the United States when racial segregation was codified into law and upheld by law enforcement.

Donald Trump has claimed that Democrats are ringing him to thank him for making it “safe” to dine out in Washington DC , despite restaurants seeing a sharp decline in attendance since his police takeover.

The Trump administration’s crackdown on violent crime in Washington, D.C., has already netted more than 240 arrests and seized 38 guns off the streets, a White House official said.

The nation’s capital sued to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department in court on Friday, hours after his administration escalated its intervention into the city’s law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department.

Three US Republican-led states deployed hundreds more National Guard troops to Washington, DC, marking a significant escalation of federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital.

Authorities have also scrubbed up to 80 graffiti sites from Capitol Hill Parks as of Aug. 6, Interior officials said.