A Large Presence, a Small Role
Nearly 4,500 National Guard troops now patrol Washington, D.C., outnumbering the city's 3,200 police officers. The deployment, ordered by President Donald Trump last August as part of a "no-holds-barred" strategy to combat crime, has become a daily fixture in the capital—small groups of soldiers in camouflage and body armor stationed around national monuments, subway stations, and tourist corridors.
Yet a review of court records by Reuters found that the troops have played a limited role in serious law enforcement. Since the deployment began, National Guard personnel have been mentioned in only about 1.3% of criminal cases filed in the District of Columbia Superior Court, which handles nearly all criminal prosecutions in the city.
Minor Incidents, Affluent Neighborhoods
According to the Reuters review, soldiers have mostly responded to minor incidents in wealthier, whiter, and less dangerous parts of Washington. In about 62 cases, soldiers single-handedly stopped criminals for small crimes such as shoplifting and jumping turnstiles; in another 43 cases, they helped with arrests. Specific incidents include a pizza theft where the suspect paid only $2, rock-throwing, beef jerky theft, root beer theft, a man urinating in public, and two men with chalk in a banana costume.
Notably, no court records show National Guard activity in areas where 82% of the city's 859 murders over the past five years occurred. The total number of violent crimes reported by Washington police between January and mid-August was about 4% higher than the previous year, though murders fell for the third consecutive year.
Limited Powers, High Costs
The Department of Defense categorizes the troops' work as "presence patrols" intended to deter crime. Soldiers can detain suspects but must call police for a formal arrest. Their limited law enforcement powers have drawn questions from D.C. officials, who say the deployment blurs jurisdictional lines and places soldiers in roles traditionally handled by civilian law enforcement.
The mission comes at a significant cost: an estimated $1.65 million per day, with projections reaching $1.4 billion through 2029.
A Study's Mixed Findings
A study by the Niskanen Center found that sending soldiers into Washington led to fewer stolen cars but had no impact on violent crime. This aligns with the broader pattern: troops have been more visible than effective in tackling serious offenses.
Incidents Involving the Troops
Soldiers themselves have been victims of attacks. In 62 criminal cases, people were charged with pushing, punching, or threatening National Guard soldiers, and in 9 cases with spitting on them. Two off-duty soldiers were arrested by Washington police for violating firearms laws, though charges were later dropped. Two soldiers from West Virginia were shot near the White House, killing one of them.
In one tragic case, Keon Jones was stabbed in April and later died. National Guard soldiers found him unresponsive and called emergency services, believing he was intoxicated; the severity of his stabbing was not realized until it was too late. Evelyn Jones, Keon's aunt, questioned whether soldiers could have responded differently: "They could have done more to help him."
Beyond Policing: The Reflecting Pool
The administration's efforts in the city extended beyond law enforcement. The Trump administration spent millions of dollars renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but it turned green with algae as the liner peeled away. Trump claimed the pool had been sabotaged, but U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro conceded that a government contractor "botched" the job.
Mixed Reactions
Views on the deployment vary sharply. Charles Stimson, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, argued the troops' visibility serves as a deterrent: "When you're speeding and you see a cop, you slow down. If those National Guard went poof and left town tomorrow, crime would go up."
Gen. Randy Manner, retired second-in-command of the National Guard Bureau, disagreed: "You do not want armed soldiers on the streets of America." He said soldiers were not suited to routine policing.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has called the deployment "problematic" and declined to comment, as did the city's police department. Salim Adofo, outreach coordinator with the Anacostia Coordinating Council, said he had not seen soldiers all year. Rev. Norman Nixon, pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church, said soldiers were more visible than their policing role suggested: "It's like they brought people here from all across the country, just to be here. And they harass people a lot more than they are actually doing police work."
Rev. William Young, who lives in the Navy Yard neighborhood, questioned whether soldiers made residents safer: "It's a way of keeping fear in all of us. This is not how a capital of democracy should be protected."
The White House pushed back against such criticism. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Trump's efforts in the city have "driven down crime, beautified the city, and improved quality of life for countless individuals."
Looking Ahead
As the deployment continues into its second year, the gap between the scale of the military presence and its documented impact on serious crime remains a point of contention. For now, soldiers remain a common sight in Washington's tourist corridors, but court records suggest their most tangible effect may be symbolic rather than operational.