WASHINGTON (CN) — President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he would federalize Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, a major escalation in the White House’s effort to crack down on crime and assert more federal control over the capital.

The president also said that he would mobilize the D.C. National Guard, just days after he ordered law enforcement officers from an assortment of federal agencies to increase their presence in the city.

“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore,” Trump said during a news conference at the White House Monday morning.

Under the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act, the federal law that allows the capital city some self-governance, the president has the authority to take control of the municipal police department if “special conditions of an emergency nature exist.” Under the law, the White House can only take over MPD for a maximum of 30 days if it notifies Congress.