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Mayor Duggan, Mary Sheffield, Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.
President Donald Trump has announced plans to temporarily deploy 120 FBI agents and 800 National Guard troops to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., saying, “It’s becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness.” He also announced a temporary federal takeover of the police department under the D.C. Home Rule Act, passed by Congress.
Trump said he may take similar action in other major cities, which would also likely involve deploying National Guard troops and FBI or other federal agents, but not taking over police departments.
Deadline Detroit on Monday asked both Detroit mayoral candidates—Council President Mary Sheffield and Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.—along with Mayor Mike Duggan, if they would favor deploying FBI agents and National Guard troops to patrol the streets of Detroit to fight crime.
All said no.
City Council President Mary Sheffield:
"Deploying the National Guard in Detroit would harken back to some of the darkest and most painful times in Detroit’s history. The widespread racial injustice and police brutality that lead to the Insurrection of 1967, and subsequent deployment of the National Guard in Detroit, is a thing of the past. I am diametrically opposed to deploying the FBI, federal agents, or the National Guard to patrol Detroit’s streets. Public safety must be rooted in trust, community engagement, and strong partnerships with our local police and residents—not in militarizing our neighborhoods."
Dan Lijana, spokesman for Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.:
"No to both questions. There is no place for martial law in Detroit."
John Roach, spokesman for Mayor Mike Duggan:
"No. In 2025, Detroit is seeing the fewest homicides, shootings, and carjackings it has in more than 50 years. A major part of that success is the excellent partnership we have with U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon and the other federal agencies."
"This partnership is simple and effective: DPD does the policing and the feds have strongly increased support for federal prosecution. We appreciate the partnership we have today and are aware of no reason either side would want to change it."
The 1967 Rebellion
Over the years, Detroit police have worked jointly with federal agents and the Michigan State Police on violent crime and drug task forces to battle crime in the city, but there have not been federal agents or National Guard troops patrolling the city on a regular basis. The last time National Guard troops patrolled the streets of Detroit was in July 1967 during the rebellion after Gov. George Romney declared a state of emergency.
Under the D.C. Home Rule Act, the president can take over the D.C. police department for up to 30 days by declaring that “special conditions of an emergency nature exist,” The Washington Post reports. Afterward, control would revert to local authorities unless Congress passes a law to extend that period.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser expressed concern about Trump's actions, saying, according to the Washington Post:
“We’re at a 30-year violent-crime low. We’re not satisfied. We haven’t taken our foot off the gas, and we continue to look for ways to make our city safer. While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can’t say that — given some of the rhetoric of the past — we’re totally surprised.”
