Ohio National Guard troops to be sent to Washington, D.C. to help with city policing efforts

By Kurt Knue, Richard Chiles

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    CINCINNATI, Ohio (WLWT) — Governor Mike DeWine says that Ohio National Guard troops will be deployed to Washington, D.C.

“We have been asked by the Secretary of the Army to send 150 military police from the Ohio National Guard to support the District of Columbia National Guard,” said DeWine in a statement. “These Ohio National Guard members will carry out presence patrols and serve as added security. None of these military police members are currently serving as law enforcement officers in the state of Ohio.”

This comes amid a national emergency recently declared by President Trump on crime within Washington, D.C.

The move allows Trump to deploy the National Guard on the city’s streets, and give the federal government temporary power over Washington, D.C.’s police force.

However, Mayor Muriel Bowser has strongly pushed back on the rationale behind the sudden emergency declaration, saying that violent crime is actually at a 30-year low within the city.

At least two other states with Republican governors are also deploying national guard troops to the nation’s capital: West Virginia is sending up to 400 while South Carolina approved 200.

DeWine says that Ohio National Guard members are expected to arrive on scene in the nation’s capital within the next few days.

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