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As Trump pushes a federal takeover of D.C. police, these are your rights
With federal and local officers on D.C.’s streets, here’s what to know about what law enforcement agencies can legally order you to do — and what they can’t.
wapo.st
August 15, 2025 at 8:50 AM

As Trump pushes a federal takeover of D.C. police, these are your rights

With federal and local officers on D.C.’s streets, here’s what to know about what law enforcement agencies can legally order you to do — and what they can’t.

Today at 6:30 a.m. EDT
6 min


Homeland Security Investigations police and other federal agents walk in Southeast Washington on Tuesday. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

By Frances Vinall

President Donald Trump’s deployment of federal law enforcement in Washington has stoked alarm in the nation’s capital, putting residents on edge and fueling a sense of fear and unease. The president mobilized about 800 members of the National Guard to the city’s streets this week, alongside an unprecedented federal takeover of the D.C. police that he described as necessary to stamp out violent crime.

Local and federal authorities so far have cleared out homeless encampments, conducted traffic stops at a checkpoint and made arrests. On Thursday, the Trump administration signaled it would use the takeover of D.C. to increase its crackdown on immigration, as Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order formalizing the government’s grip over the D.C. police.

Here’s what to know about your rights if you are stopped by local or federal authorities in D.C. during this extraordinary exercise of federal power.

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Arelis R. Hernández contributed to this report.

By Frances Vinall
Frances Vinall is a global breaking news reporter for The Washington Post who is based in Seoul.