KANSAS CITY – As President Donald Trump considers sending the National Guard to cities such as Memphis and Portland, Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt is questioning whether the strategy could also help Kansas City.

During a discussion with Det. Gregg Pemberton, chairman of the D.C. Police Union, Schmitt raised concerns about Kansas City’s rising crime rates and criticized what he called an “apologist mayor” and a prosecutor reluctant to pursue violent offenders.

Pemberton pointed to Washington, D.C.’s recent experience with a federal surge in law enforcement. “You need to have the proper number of police officers, and they need the tools and resources to do their job,” he said. “If you do that, and you have a prosecutor that backs those officers, like we now do here in D.C., you can reduce crime in seven days. That’s what we saw.”

According to Pemberton, the arrival of federal agents, the deployment of the National Guard, and stronger prosecutorial support led to a “remarkable night and day difference” in crime reduction within a week.

Schmitt praised the results in Washington and suggested the same model could be applied in Kansas City. His comments come as President Trump continues to frame the expansion of federal agents and National Guard deployments as a necessary measure to restore order in high-crime cities.

On the same day as Schmitt’s remarks, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe authorized the state’s National Guard to assist with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, signaling growing state-level support for federal and military involvement in law enforcement efforts.