US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro told Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6/8F that District law prevents her office from prosecuting most juveniles involved in disruptive “teen takeover” incidents, a growing concern in Navy Yard.
Unlike most American cities, Washington’s criminal justice system operates under a hybrid federal-local structure. Adult felony prosecutions are handled by the US Attorney’s Office (USAO), while most juvenile cases fall to the DC Attorney General. The arrangement frequently places debates over local crime policy at the center of national political discussions about the District’s governance and Home Rule authority.
Pirro said her office can only charge youth as adults in limited, serious cases such as homicide or armed offenses.
“I want them,” Pirro said of the teens involved in behavior that disrupts businesses and public safety. She called for changes that would allow her office to prosecute younger offenders more broadly, rejecting the District’s emphasis on rehabilitation in family court.
She made those remarks as congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration renew their scrutiny of the District, with public safety repeatedly cited by federal officials as justification for a more active federal role in local affairs.
Pirro credited a federal law enforcement surge launched in August 2025 with reducing crime, citing declines in homicides and other offenses. She said federal authorities have made thousands of arrests and removed large numbers of illegal firearms, though some figures were not independently verified.
Her remarks drew pushback from commissioners, who questioned both her data and her role in local enforcement. Concerns were raised about data transparency, civil liberties and the presence of federal officers in the city.
The exchange underscored a broader policy moment for the District. The emergency youth curfew is set to expire on April 14. At publication time, the DC Council appears unlikely to extend it.
Speaking after Pirro’s remarks, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officials described their efforts to monitor social media, coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and then deploy officers to anticipated gatherings.Commissioners responded with visible frustration. The gatherings have persisted for more than a year, and commissioners questioned whether current strategies were effective.
DC Council has discussed changes to curfew legislation, but there does not appear to be the collective will to extend the emergency legislation. The last legislative meeting of DC Council was March 31, but the council delayed decision making until April 21, one week after emergency legislation is scheduled to expire.
