WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at safeguarding and beautifying the nation’s capital.
Trump’s order establishes the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which is directed to carry out a number of different actions on the safety front, ranging from enforcement of laws to helping with officer recruitment for the city’s police department.
The task force is ordered to surge police officers in public areas and to “strictly enforce quality-of-life laws in public areas like drug use, unpermitted demonstrations, vandalism, and public intoxication,” according to a White House facts sheet.
The order also directs the task force to “Maximize immigration enforcement to apprehend and deport dangerous illegal aliens, including monitoring D.C.’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities,” the document adds.
Moreover, the task force will set out to help get the D.C. forensic crime laboratory accredited and assist in helping the Metropolitan Police Department recruit and retain officers, while also “boosting capabilities.”
“The D.C. crime lab remains partially unaccredited, creating a bottleneck for investigations. Federal authorities will assist with capacity so forensic work can resume and accreditation can be regained,” the White House said in a statement.
The White House said in a statement that the police department needs 4,000 officers, at minimum, noting there are currently fewer than 3,500 on the force.
The task force is also ordered to strengthen pre-trial detention policies and tackle fare evasion on the city’s transportation system. Additionally, the task force is directed to “Expedite concealed carry licenses for law-abiding citizens,” per the fact sheet.
Trump’s order establishes a program to spruce up the city, too. This effort includes “restoring and beautifying Federal buildings, monuments, statues, memorials, parks, and roadways, removing graffiti from commonly visited areas, and ensuring the cleanliness of public spaces and parks.”
Additionally, the National Park Service is directed to remove graffiti and clear out homeless encampments that are on federal lands in the city.
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