The term “secret police” doesn’t just mean officers keeping their investigations quiet. It means a security force that operates outside normal legal rules, is loyal to a political leader rather than the public, and uses fear to control people. Warning signs include:
Officers who hide their identities and wear masks without clear insignia
Unmarked vehicles with no official markings
Arrests without public explanation or a clear paper trail
Detaining people without telling them their rights or where they are being taken
Answering to a political figure instead of an independent judicial or civilian authority
When you see these practices, you are looking at a force that is acting like an arm of a political regime, not a public service.
Washington, D.C. is not a state, so Congress and the president have more direct authority over it than they do over other cities. In 1973, Congress passed the Home Rule Act to let D.C. voters elect their own mayor and city council, and to give them more say over local matters. But the law kept a list of powers in federal hands, including the right for the president to take control of the D.C. police in a crisis. This was meant for major emergencies like riots, disasters, or war. It has been used very rarely, and almost always when there was a clear, immediate threat to public safety.
Hallmarks of a “Secret Police”
The term “secret police” doesn’t just mean officers keeping their investigations quiet. It means a security force that operates outside normal legal rules, is loyal to a political leader rather than the public, and uses fear to control people. Warning signs include:
Officers who hide their identities and wear masks without clear insignia
Unmarked vehicles with no official markings
Arrests without public explanation or a clear paper trail
Detaining people without telling them their rights or where they are being taken
Answering to a political figure instead of an independent judicial or civilian authority
When you see these practices, you are looking at a force that is acting like an arm of a political regime, not a public service.
About the D.C. Home Rule Act
Washington, D.C. is not a state, so Congress and the president have more direct authority over it than they do over other cities. In 1973, Congress passed the Home Rule Act to let D.C. voters elect their own mayor and city council, and to give them more say over local matters. But the law kept a list of powers in federal hands, including the right for the president to take control of the D.C. police in a crisis. This was meant for major emergencies like riots, disasters, or war. It has been used very rarely, and almost always when there was a clear, immediate threat to public safety.
Just a few weeks ago, President Trump was being praised and credited for lower violent crime rates in Washington, DC, by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Here's the press release. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/us-attorney-ed-martin-jr-credits-president-trumps-first-100-days-25-drop-dc-violent