“We took Washington, D.C., which was a very, very dangerous place … into one of the safest cities anywhere in our country.” President Donald Trump said that in the Rose Garden on May 11, at a White House event opening Police Week. His remarks that day, and the proclamation he issued, both leaned on claims about crime.
The proclamation, No. 11029, names May 15, 2026, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 10 through May 16 as Police Week. It asks governors and other officials to fly flags at half-staff on May 15. It was published in the Federal Register on May 14. The observance goes back to 1962, when President John F. Kennedy first designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, according to Police1.
What the proclamation says
The text opens with tribute. It honors officers killed in the line of duty, stands “resolutely beside the families they left behind,” and recognizes officers injured on the job.
Then it turns political. Trump writes that before he took office “America was gripped by a left-wing-fueled lawlessness,” blaming soft-on-crime policies, illegal immigration and cashless bail. Since returning, he says, he has sent federal resources into the most crime-ridden cities and acted against “sanctuary state” laws. By his account, crime in the capital has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded and on-duty officer deaths have dropped to an 80-year low. He also cites drops in rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, shooting deaths, traffic fatalities and overdose deaths. The proclamation gives no figures for those.
It points to two policy actions. One is the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which he signed last summer and which includes no tax on overtime. The other is an executive order ending cashless bail in the federal justice system for every offense that poses a clear danger to public safety.
The Rose Garden event
At the ceremony Trump said Police Week is a time to recognize “the heroes who keep America safe.” He thanked “police officers, sheriffs, deputies, law enforcement officers,” and added that the thoughts of the country turn to those who died on duty.
He said his administration had made “nearly 200,000 criminal arrests nationwide” and removed “nearly 615,000 illegal alien criminals.” He credited the National Guard, federal agents and local partners for the change in Washington. He also mentioned an executive order he said directs the attorney general to seek the death penalty for anyone convicted of killing a police officer.
Leaders of the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Secret Service, U.S. Park Police and the Department of Homeland Security were recognized, along with heads of the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National Border Patrol Council and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. Trump also singled out NYPD Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards, whom he praised for helping apprehend a suspect during a violent protest outside Gracie Mansion. Edwards, Trump said, joined the NYPD after seeing officers respond to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Trump closed by telling the officers present they are “restoring the foundation of law and order.” He added: “You don’t know how much respect people respect you. They love you.”
Sources
- Proclamation 11029—Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2026
- Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2026
- Trump praises police, highlights crime and immigration enforcement during Police Week
