One year has passed since U.S. President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., under the banner of crime prevention, but there have been relatively few instances in which they actually responded to crimes.
On the 19th, Reuters analyzed criminal indictments filed with the D.C. Superior Court and released findings on how the National Guard has responded to crime. Of 217 criminal cases over the past year in which police mentioned National Guard involvement, soldiers directly restrained suspects in 62 cases and assisted police arrests in 43 cases. The share of all criminal indictments that mentioned the National Guard was just 1.3%.
Most of the cases in which soldiers intervened were minor crimes. There were instances of restraining a man who took two slices of pizza from a store and a man who stole about $7 worth of jerky. The military also stopped a man from throwing a rock at a bus and detained a woman who drank root beer without paying.
The Ministry of National Defense described the National Guard's mission as a "garrison patrol" that deters crime by visibly deploying troops rather than directly cracking down on crime.
By contrast, there was little evidence of National Guard activity in areas with concentrated violent crime. Comparing court records by area with population and crime statistics, Reuters found that soldiers more often responded to incidents in neighborhoods with relatively higher incomes and higher shares of white residents. The outlet said it found no records of the National Guard engaging in law enforcement in areas where about 82% of the 859 homicides in Washington, D.C., over the past five years were concentrated.
It is also unclear whether the National Guard deployment reduced crime. Homicides in Washington, D.C., have fallen for three straight years, but similar declines have appeared in other cities where National Guard troops or additional federal personnel were not deployed. From January to mid-Aug., violent crime in Washington, D.C., actually rose about 4% from the same period last year. The Niskanen Center think tank also analyzed in May that while vehicle theft decreased after the National Guard deployment, there was no clear impact on violent crime.
The expense is significant. Washington, D.C., currently has about 4,500 National Guard troops deployed, more than the roughly 3,200 local police officers. The Trump administration reported to Congress last year that it was spending about $1.65 million (2.299 billion won) per day to deploy the National Guard. It also expects the total to reach $1.4 billion (1.951 trillion won) by 2029.
The White House did not respond to questions about the soldiers' activities. Spokesperson Lauren Bliss said Trump's efforts "have reduced crime, beautified the city and improved the quality of life for countless people."