At least one high-ranking officer has been suspended so far over the disturbing allegations, which the DC Police Union has said effectively reflect standard operating procedure.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb are forcefully rejecting U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s late-night order attempting to sideline the local D.C. police chief, calling it unlawful and beyond federal authority.

The District of Columbia government has given thousands of dollars in grant money meant to combat gun violence to an array of social justice causes.

"While federal assistance gives us a boost, we must repeal the misguided Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act in order to make these changes permanent," the union said

The federal government takes control of Washington DC police operations as DEA Administrator Terry Cole seeks to enforce immigration compliance and reduce crime.

Three US Republican-led states deployed hundreds more National Guard troops to Washington, DC, marking a significant escalation of federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a directive issued Thursday evening that DEA boss Terry Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police.” The Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders,

The DEA head, Terry Cole, would assume "all the powers and duties" of DC police chief, Bondi said.

Authorities have also scrubbed up to 80 graffiti sites from Capitol Hill Parks as of Aug. 6, Interior officials said.

Police are currently on the scene in Northeast D.C., where a person in crisis has barricaded herself inside a vehicle.