August 13, 2025 • 6 mins
19-year-old former DOGE worker assaulted in DC carjacking attempt, say police
The recent incident involving a 19-year-old former DOGE worker assaulted in a vicious carjacking attempt in Washington D.C. brings into sharp focus a prevalent public concern: that the true scope of crime is often "a lot worse than we think." This anecdotal experience resonates with a fundamental challenge in criminology: accurately quantifying criminal activity. Official crime data, while crucial for many purposes, inherently captures only a fraction of the actual offenses committed. This hidden volume of crime is known as the "dark figure" of crime, a criminological concept referring to all crimes that are not reported to law enforcement and consequently do not appear in official statistics.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/go-beyond-the-brief--6353252/support.
The recent incident involving a 19-year-old former DOGE worker assaulted in a vicious carjacking attempt in Washington D.C. brings into sharp focus a prevalent public concern: that the true scope of crime is often "a lot worse than we think." This anecdotal experience resonates with a fundamental challenge in criminology: accurately quantifying criminal activity. Official crime data, while crucial for many purposes, inherently captures only a fraction of the actual offenses committed. This hidden volume of crime is known as the "dark figure" of crime, a criminological concept referring to all crimes that are not reported to law enforcement and consequently do not appear in official statistics.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/go-beyond-the-brief--6353252/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You found the podcast Go Beyond the Brief, where we
take a deep dive into the societal currents shaping our lives. Together,
we'll explore the often unseen forces at play. We'll examine
the research, dissect the data, and most importantly, if you're
seeking to understand what's shaping our society, this is the place.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We're getting straight into the heart of the stories that matter.
And today we're looking at something genuinely unprecedented, the federal
government taking control of the DC Metropolitan Police Department just
this August.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, it's it's quite the development and the way it happened.
President Trump using section seven forty of the DC Home
Rule Act, that specific power, well, it's never been invoked before,
not one before.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
And the reason given the President cited a quote crime
emergency and total lawlessness in DC. But that's the core
of our deep dive today. That claim seems to fly
directly in the face of the MPD's own crime statistics exactly.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So section seven forty it gives the president the power
to federalize the DC Police, but only for federal purposes
and under special conditions of an emergency nature.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
That's key, and the mayor has to comply right.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Legally, Yes, Congress gets notified within forty eight hours, and
the federal control is meant to be temporary up to
thirty days. Initially, the ACLUDC office calls it a very
limited power just for temporary takeovers, tied to federal needs.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Limited and again never used like this. People might think
of Lincoln and the MPDS founding during the Civil War
a true national crisis. This feels different, especially because the
official crime data shows things improving, not worsening.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Right, and the initial period was set for those thirty days,
apparently ending around September tenth.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
So what was the White House saying specifically? What was
the emergency?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, the public message was all about a severe public
safety crisis in terms like total lawlessness public safety emergency.
There was a White House memo mentioning an epidemic of crime,
that DC was under siege.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Resident himself made some pretty strong claims DC's murder rate
higher than bogatah Car thef's way up.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yes, those specific lanes were made, and they pointed to
certain incidents.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Like the embassy staffers killed in May and the Congressional
intern in June.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Correct, those were cited, along with an attack on an
administration's staffer during a carjacking attempt, described as merciless. This
is all framed as part of a larger federal push
to restore law and.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Order, and it connects to that March executive order too, right,
making the District of Columbia safe and beautiful exactly.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
That included orders about removing homeless encampments from DC parks,
So there's a link there.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
The stated goal being protecting federal operations and access in
the Capitol.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
So that's the narrative presented, a city spiraling into crime,
justifying federal intervention.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
But then you look at the numbers, the actual MPD statistic, and.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
It's a completely different picture, a stark contradiction. Really, the
data shows violent crime and DC dropping significantly.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
How significant are we talking, Kate.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Compare twenty twenty four to twenty twenty three, homicides down
thirty two percent, total violent crime down thirty five percent.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Wow, those are big drops, huge.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
And it didn't stop there. Look at this year twenty
twenty five compared to the same period in twenty twenty four,
homicides down another twelve percent, total violent crime down twenty
six percent.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
And car SEFs weren't they supposed to be soaring?
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Motor vehicle theft actually stayed pretty flat, a tiny, tiny increase,
but basically stable. Overall crime was down.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
So the trend is consistently downwards, which just makes the
crime emergency justification look well shaky.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
It really undermines it.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
The White House tended to focus on absolute rates, not
the trend, like DC's twenty twenty four homicide rate per
one hundred thousand people.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Focusing on the number itself, not the direction.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
It's heading precisely, and perception plays a role too. A
Gallup poll found most Americans believe crime went up in
twenty twenty four, even when stats often showed otherwise. There's
a gap.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Okay, So for you, the listener, maybe living or working
in DC, what does this federal zation and mean on
a practical level.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, first, the MPD is under direct federal command. Attorney
General Pam Bondi is in charge, and the acting MPD
Commissioner is now Terrence Cole, who runs the DEA, the.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
DEA administrator running the DC Police.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yes, and the Secretary of Defense was told to mobilize
the DC.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
National Guard until law and order is restored. Quote unquote right.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Plus you've got about five hundred federal agents coming in
from various agencies FBI, atf DEA, IC, Marshall's Secret Service, DHS.
It's an alphabet soup.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
So a much more visible federal presence and a shift
in priorities.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Definitely. That focus on clearing homeless encampments from parks, for example,
shows local policing aligning with federal directors now.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So interactions with law enforcement might feel different, different agencies,
maybe different mandates.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
That's likely. Yes, it changes the landscape.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And stepping back, how does this fit into the whole
DC home rule situation?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Good question. DC has had home rules since nineteen seventy
three elected mayor council, but it's limited autonomy. Congress holds
significant power. They can veto local laws, control the budget.
It's not statehood.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
And how have DC officials reacted to the federalization Not well.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Mayor Bowser called the administration's claims hyperbolic and false. She
stated the legal conditions for a takeover just don't exist.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
She called it an historic assault on DC home rule
and she's using it to argue for her d C
statehood built.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
This isn't happening in a vacuum either. There's been talked
from the administration about revoking home rule altogether.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Absolutely. President Trump is warned about, you know, taking federal
control of the city and running it how it should
be run.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
So this action feels like a major move in that
larger struggle over d c's self governance.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
It certainly seems that way. It's deeply political. The atmosphere
has been described as unprecedentedly silent in some ways, maybe
suggesting people are digging in for a longer fight over
d c's future.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
So let's wrap this up. We've seen President Trump use
an never before use power Section seven forty to federalize
DC's police. The stated reason was a crime emergency, but
the official statistics show crime has actually been significantly decreasing.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Right. That huge gap between the rationale and the data
is really the core issue here. It suggests there might
be broader political goals at play. It's a direct challenge
to DC's already limited autonomy, and it pours fuel on
that whole statehood debate fire.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
It really makes you think when official data is so
starkly contradicted by the justification for such a major federal action.
What does that signal? And maybe the thought to leave
you with is this, what does this unprecedented assertion of
executive power mean for the future of DC's self determination
and how might it shift the balance between a federal
power and local control right here in the nation's capital.
You found the podcast Go Beyond the Brief, where we
take a deep dive into the societal currents shaping our lives. Together,
we'll explore the often unseen forces at play. We'll examine
the research, dissect the data, and most importantly, if you're
seeking to understand what's shaping our society, this is the place.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We're getting straight into the heart of the stories that matter.
And today we're looking at something genuinely unprecedented, the federal
government taking control of the DC Metropolitan Police Department just
this August.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, it's it's quite the development and the way it happened.
President Trump using section seven forty of the DC Home
Rule Act, that specific power, well, it's never been invoked before,
not one before.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
And the reason given the President cited a quote crime
emergency and total lawlessness in DC. But that's the core
of our deep dive today. That claim seems to fly
directly in the face of the MPD's own crime statistics exactly.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So section seven forty it gives the president the power
to federalize the DC Police, but only for federal purposes
and under special conditions of an emergency nature.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
That's key, and the mayor has to comply right.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Legally, Yes, Congress gets notified within forty eight hours, and
the federal control is meant to be temporary up to
thirty days. Initially, the ACLUDC office calls it a very
limited power just for temporary takeovers, tied to federal needs.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Limited and again never used like this. People might think
of Lincoln and the MPDS founding during the Civil War
a true national crisis. This feels different, especially because the
official crime data shows things improving, not worsening.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Right, and the initial period was set for those thirty days,
apparently ending around September tenth.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
So what was the White House saying specifically? What was
the emergency?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, the public message was all about a severe public
safety crisis in terms like total lawlessness public safety emergency.
There was a White House memo mentioning an epidemic of crime,
that DC was under siege.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Resident himself made some pretty strong claims DC's murder rate
higher than bogatah Car thef's way up.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yes, those specific lanes were made, and they pointed to
certain incidents.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Like the embassy staffers killed in May and the Congressional
intern in June.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Correct, those were cited, along with an attack on an
administration's staffer during a carjacking attempt, described as merciless. This
is all framed as part of a larger federal push
to restore law and.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Order, and it connects to that March executive order too, right,
making the District of Columbia safe and beautiful exactly.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
That included orders about removing homeless encampments from DC parks,
So there's a link there.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
The stated goal being protecting federal operations and access in
the Capitol.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
So that's the narrative presented, a city spiraling into crime,
justifying federal intervention.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
But then you look at the numbers, the actual MPD statistic, and.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
It's a completely different picture, a stark contradiction. Really, the
data shows violent crime and DC dropping significantly.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
How significant are we talking, Kate.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Compare twenty twenty four to twenty twenty three, homicides down
thirty two percent, total violent crime down thirty five percent.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Wow, those are big drops, huge.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
And it didn't stop there. Look at this year twenty
twenty five compared to the same period in twenty twenty four,
homicides down another twelve percent, total violent crime down twenty
six percent.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
And car SEFs weren't they supposed to be soaring?
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Motor vehicle theft actually stayed pretty flat, a tiny, tiny increase,
but basically stable. Overall crime was down.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
So the trend is consistently downwards, which just makes the
crime emergency justification look well shaky.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
It really undermines it.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
The White House tended to focus on absolute rates, not
the trend, like DC's twenty twenty four homicide rate per
one hundred thousand people.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Focusing on the number itself, not the direction.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
It's heading precisely, and perception plays a role too. A
Gallup poll found most Americans believe crime went up in
twenty twenty four, even when stats often showed otherwise. There's
a gap.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Okay, So for you, the listener, maybe living or working
in DC, what does this federal zation and mean on
a practical level.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, first, the MPD is under direct federal command. Attorney
General Pam Bondi is in charge, and the acting MPD
Commissioner is now Terrence Cole, who runs the DEA, the.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
DEA administrator running the DC Police.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yes, and the Secretary of Defense was told to mobilize
the DC.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
National Guard until law and order is restored. Quote unquote right.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Plus you've got about five hundred federal agents coming in
from various agencies FBI, atf DEA, IC, Marshall's Secret Service, DHS.
It's an alphabet soup.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
So a much more visible federal presence and a shift
in priorities.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Definitely. That focus on clearing homeless encampments from parks, for example,
shows local policing aligning with federal directors now.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So interactions with law enforcement might feel different, different agencies,
maybe different mandates.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
That's likely. Yes, it changes the landscape.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And stepping back, how does this fit into the whole
DC home rule situation?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Good question. DC has had home rules since nineteen seventy
three elected mayor council, but it's limited autonomy. Congress holds
significant power. They can veto local laws, control the budget.
It's not statehood.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
And how have DC officials reacted to the federalization Not well.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Mayor Bowser called the administration's claims hyperbolic and false. She
stated the legal conditions for a takeover just don't exist.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
She called it an historic assault on DC home rule
and she's using it to argue for her d C
statehood built.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
This isn't happening in a vacuum either. There's been talked
from the administration about revoking home rule altogether.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Absolutely. President Trump is warned about, you know, taking federal
control of the city and running it how it should
be run.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
So this action feels like a major move in that
larger struggle over d c's self governance.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
It certainly seems that way. It's deeply political. The atmosphere
has been described as unprecedentedly silent in some ways, maybe
suggesting people are digging in for a longer fight over
d c's future.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
So let's wrap this up. We've seen President Trump use
an never before use power Section seven forty to federalize
DC's police. The stated reason was a crime emergency, but
the official statistics show crime has actually been significantly decreasing.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Right. That huge gap between the rationale and the data
is really the core issue here. It suggests there might
be broader political goals at play. It's a direct challenge
to DC's already limited autonomy, and it pours fuel on
that whole statehood debate fire.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
It really makes you think when official data is so
starkly contradicted by the justification for such a major federal action.
What does that signal? And maybe the thought to leave
you with is this, what does this unprecedented assertion of
executive power mean for the future of DC's self determination
and how might it shift the balance between a federal
power and local control right here in the nation's capital.
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