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A fed-up President Trump announced on Monday that the National Guard would be policing the District of Columbia in an effort to reduce the crime rate and “take our capital back.” Trump is allowed to make that move under the District’s Home Rule Act for 30 days; anything longer than that would require Congressional approval, although Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser seems to have lauded the Guard’s arrival. But Trump then indicated that he’d like to use the National Guard in other crime-riddled cities, listing New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, specifically. Does Trump’s plan stand a chance of cleaning up Washington’s streets? Mike Sapraicone is a retired NYPD first-grade detective and security expert. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to explain why he believes Trump’s call to the National Guard is the right call to make.
“The President is a leader, and he’s a businessman,” Sapraicone reasoned with host Larry Mendte. “So he’s used to being able to see a situation and say, ‘Okay, we have to do something about this- let’s do something about it now,’ where a lot of politicians over the years, on both sides of the aisle, will say, “Well we have to work this out, there’s a lot of bureaucracy that has to go in, we have to deal with different things to get something done.’… There’s no question that perception is the biggest thing in the world to people… you want to feel safe, you want your streets to be clean, and you want to know it’s a safe place to bring your children up.”
As for Trump opining that New York might be next, Sapraicone thinks that won’t happen- for now. “I don’t think it will come to that here in the city of New York. I think if we elect a new mayor in November, if that mayor doesn’t get into line, then I think you’ll see the President do something like this to show the strength and that New York can come back and be a great place, [and] a safe city.”
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