WASHINGTON — US Park Police arrested more than half a dozen perps in Washington, DC, on charges including possession of stolen firearms and illicit drugs as part of a federal crackdown launched by the Trump administration Thursday to clean up the nation’s capital.
Photos released by Park Police show their officers joining with agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to scoop up the contraband.
Eight culprits were arrested in the surge, Park Police Fraternal Order of Police chairman Kenneth Spencer told The Post Friday, with two handguns confiscated from offenders with prior felony convictions.
One prep was collared after failing to appear in court.
At least 30 “fraudulent oxycodone pills” — which appeared to be fentanyl — were also seized, along with 210 grams of crack cocaine, 600 grams of marijuana, 64 grams of hashish oil and cash with a total value of $3,600, Spencer added.
“It was a multi-agency effort that we are leading from the White House directive,” the union chief said, adding that in his more than 15 years with the Park Police, he’d never seen a task force of this magnitude.
“It’s going to have a huge impact on crime in the city,” he also said. “We’ve been directed to do this until further instruction.”
“Overnight, USPP officers and our federal partners collaborated to enforce EO 14252, Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful,” USPP’s X account proclaimed in reference to President Trump’s March 28 executive order.
“Our teams made arrests for possession of two stolen firearms and illegal drugs removing these dangerous items from the community,” added USPP, which did not immediately respond to a request for further details on the seizures.
Trump’s executive action tasks DC’s Metropolitan Police Department with recruiting and retaining more cops and cutting out fare evasion at metro stations.
Local police officers are also supposed to maintain an increased presence in high-crime areas of the district.
Spencer added that morale remains high among the Park Police ranks and “the officers are very happy to be part of this enforcement effort, but the problem is our staffing is still really bad.”
“We only have 504 sworn officers — and that includes our New York and San Francisco field offices — and we’re supposed to have 639,” he said.
The Park Police union has been hoping Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will help boost hiring — and that members of Congress will pass the US Park Police Modernization Act either in the next annual appropriations bill or as part of the National Defense Authorization Act in fiscal year 2026.
Staten Island GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis introduced the Park Police Modernization Act earlier this year.
“This surge that we are doing is all overtime, with officers working on their time off,” Spencer said.
Last year, Spencer said the Park Police had been “alone” and “understaffed” when “assaulted by a mob of thousands” of pro-Hamas rioters near Union Station — with some officers being hit with feces tossed by the unhinged crowd.
The White House announced Thursday that DC residents could “expect to see an increase in federal enforcement starting as early as tomorrow” after teenagers brutally beat Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine — also known as “Big Balls” — in an attempted carjacking last weekend.
Since August 2023, DC police have arrested 333 carjacking suspects — with 56% of those collared under the age of 18.
At least 60% of the youngsters arrested for boosting cars were 15 or 16, though perps as young as 12 have been arrested for the crime, police records show.
At least 10 youths descended on Coristine, 19, and left him bloodied early Sunday, with ex-DOGE leader Elon Musk sharing a picture of his former staffer after the pummeling earlier this week.
“Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday in response to the violence.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has tried to cut down on youth crime by imposing a curfew. Other officials in the city have come under fire for going easy on juveniles.
Left-leaning DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb memorably told Fox 5 “kids are kids” when explaining why he didn’t believe in charging youths as adults, months after being sworn in in January 2023.
In March 2021, a 66-year-old Uber driver was killed when two girls, ages 13 and 15, hit him with a stun gun and stole his car.
Both pleaded guilty to murder, but have been placed in juvenile facilities until they turn 21.
“I cannot comment on specific cases, but know that when MPD brings us cases with sufficient evidence of juveniles who have broken the law and hurt people, we will prosecute them and ensure they face consequences for their actions,” the AG said in a statement Wednesday.
Schwalb’s office has touted prosecuting more than 90% of homicide and attempted homicide cases, 88.1% of violent assault cases, 87.1% of carjacking cases, nearly 85.7% of gun possession cases and 78.9% of robbery cases, according to 2024 calendar year statistics shared by his office.
“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has sadly been plagued by petty and violent crime for far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday. “President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer and even more beautiful for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.”
The ATF referred requests for comment to the White House. The FBI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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