Park Police seek hundreds more officers amid Trump's crime crackdown

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

WP EXCLUSIVE
Park Police seek hundreds more officers amid Trump's crime crackdown

A hiring spree in the nation's capital is part of a plan to become "the premier law enforcement agency in D.C," according to documents obtained by The Post.

October 31, 2025 at 11:19 a.m. EDT
Today at 11:19 a.m. EDT
9 min


U.S. Park Police perform a traffic stop on Aug. 8. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)

By Olivia George and Hannah Natanson

The U.S. Park Police is seeking to double its ranks in D.C. over the next six months, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post detailing plans of an expansion that would bolster the federal agency's role in the Trump administration's crime crackdown in the nation's capital.

The stated goal of the recruitment blitz is to establish Park Police as "the premier law enforcement agency in D.C." -- keeping the city safe "regardless of inaction" by the local police department and local elected officials, records show. The surge unfolds as the president and Republican lawmakers continue to cast D.C. as scourged by violence and run by ill-equipped progressives.

As part of the Department of the Interior, Park Police are tasked with protecting national parkland and monuments. Since President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C. in August, however, the agency has boosted its law enforcement footprint, tightened its relationship with immigration enforcement and restructured to move its leadership one step closer to the White House.

An internal document from late August that appears to outline Park Police's strategy in D.C. describes officers collaborating with other agencies to execute warrants and tackling narcotics, firearms and immigration issues. The document describes the use of patrols in high-crime areas, expanding the use of cameras and deploying plainclothes officers.

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By Olivia George
Olivia George covers the impact of the Trump administration and the larger federal government on the D.C. area. Send her secure tips on Signal @OCGeorge.59.follow on XOliviaCGeorge
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/olivia-george/

By Hannah Natanson
Hannah Natanson is a Washington Post reporter covering Trump's reshaping of the government and its effects. Reach her securely on Signal at 202-580-5477.follow on Xhannah_natanson
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/hannah-natanson/

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/10/31/park-police-expansion-dc/

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There aren’t any Constitutional sheriffs in a federal police force.

Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.

[Ray Bruns]

1. Well it appears that someone has money.