Federal agents pulled from specialized investigations to patrol Washington streets as Black mayors cry foul
The Trump administration’s deployment of federal agents to patrol Washington, D.C. streets has sparked fierce pushback from Black mayors and community leaders who see the move as racially motivated targeting of cities with Black leadership.
FBI agents specializing in complex threat investigations have been assigned to patrol D.C. streets alongside local police as part of President Donald Trump’s declared crime emergency, marking another departure from their traditional roles while raising questions about the true motivations behind the federal intervention.
Agents Lack Street Patrol Training
Federal law enforcement officials tell CNN that FBI agents are not trained or equipped for community policing duties. Unlike local police officers, most FBI agents do not come from law enforcement backgrounds, with many recruited from technology, legal and academic fields.
“FBI agents are not police officers,” said Andrew McCabe, former FBI deputy director and CNN law enforcement analyst. “Most of them don’t come to the FBI from a background as a police officer. So they don’t have the training and the skillset and the experience of doing that work, which can be dangerous both for them and for the people they would be policing.”
A 2024 class of new FBI agents included more than 44% with advanced degrees, according to an internal agency newsletter. Much of FBI work is conducted at desks, with agents lacking comprehensive training in de-escalation techniques and threat identification skills that beat officers use daily.
Equipment and Policy Differences
FBI agents also operate under different use-of-force policies than local police departments. While Washington, D.C., officers have access to tasers and pepper spray before using lethal force, these are not standard equipment for federal agents. The FBI’s use-of-force policy generally has a lower threshold for when agents may use firearms to protect themselves.
Federal agents receive minimal training in conducting vehicle stops, one of the most dangerous aspects of police work. When FBI agents make arrests, they typically plan operations methodically in advance with multiple agents outnumbering suspects, unlike routine police encounters that may involve only one or two officers.
Black Mayors Call Out Racial Pattern
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott didn’t mince words when Trump mentioned his city as potentially needing federal intervention. Scott accused the president of promoting “racist viewpoints” and pointed out a troubling pattern in Trump’s target list.
“I think it’s very notable that each and every one of the cities called out by the president has a Black mayor, and most of those cities are seeing historic lows in violent crime,” Scott said on CNN.
Trump specifically named Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore and Oakland as cities that “are bad — very bad,” with Scott noting these cities are led by Black mayors despite experiencing significant crime reductions.
“The president could learn a lot from us instead of throwing things at us,” Scott said. “What he’s doing is dog-whistling through this right-wing propaganda and, quite frankly, racist viewpoints that they have about these cities.”
Historical Context of Federal Intervention
The federal takeover of D.C.’s police department carries particular weight in Black America, evoking memories of past federal interventions in cities with significant Black populations. The deployment of federal agents to patrol predominantly Black neighborhoods has raised concerns about heavy-handed tactics and constitutional overreach.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is Black, has found herself at the center of the dispute as she resists federal control over her city’s police force. The battle represents more than just jurisdictional authority — it’s about self-determination for a majority-Black city that has long fought for political autonomy.
Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and police to accept Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner” with full control during the federal takeover. Bowser rejected the order, stating “There is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith warned the takeover places officers and residents at “grave risk,” writing in court filings that “in my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive.”
Many people conflate the sight of tanks, national guard soldiers, and FBI agents walking the streets with being ‘tough on crime,’” said Political Scientist Jamarlin Martin, author of “Science vs Spook: BPSC 101: 50 Lessons in Black American Political Science.” “But when you examine it closely, an impulsive federal response to local crime issues is more political theater than an efficient, surgical approach to the specific crimes heavily impacting these communities. If the Republican and MAGA argument is that America is broke and we need government efficiency through DOGE, then federal responses driven by news headlines could be counterproductive to actual fiscal responsibility. Quickly moving federal resources at this scale cost tens of millions of dollars and they aren’t even specialized in addressing the crimes that are impacting the local communities the most.”
Immigration Enforcement Focus
The police takeover coincides with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement goals, with Bondi directing the end of D.C.’s sanctuary city policies. The attorney general ordered MPD to abandon directives limiting cooperation with federal immigration officials.
“D.C. will not remain a sanctuary city actively shielding criminal aliens,” Bondi said on Fox News Thursday.
Previous Reassignments Strain Resources
The street patrol assignment follows months of FBI agents being diverted from their primary duties. Hundreds of agents were reassigned to immigration-related work in 2025, raising concerns about hindrance to national security investigations, including espionage and terrorism cases.
FBI agents also worked 12-hour shifts in March reviewing Jeffrey Epstein documents for redactions, with every bureau division ordered to supply personnel. Agents were directed to set aside investigations related to threats from China and Iran to complete the document review.
“There is no other entity that does that work if the FBI is not doing it,” McCabe said. “And that is really important stuff that needs to be done every day in this country by a limited resource of FBI agents. And so every time you distract them into doing something like this, you’re doing less of that.”
Agency Morale Concerns
The reassignments occur during what sources describe as a volatile period within the FBI following the firing of senior officials, including former acting director Brian Driscoll. Law enforcement sources report the lowest morale in years, with agents, analysts and professional staff considering departures for other agencies or private sector positions.
“Morale is the worst I’ve seen,” said one law enforcement source. “The bureau is becoming unrecognizable. Lots of people are weighing really difficult decisions right now.”
Current Operations
Since the weekend, FBI agents have been embedding with Metropolitan Police officers. FBI Director Kash Patel reported agents were involved in 10 of 23 arrests made Monday night in D.C., including cases involving illegal firearms possession, DUI warrants and a murder-related search warrant.
“When you let good cops be cops they can clean up our streets and do it fast,” Patel wrote on social media. “More to come. Your nation’s Capital WILL be safe again.”
The FBI declined to comment on multiple questions from CNN regarding the street patrol assignments and their impact on the agency’s traditional investigative functions.
