DC Police Officials Face Firing After Federal Probe Reveals Alleged Crime Data Manipulation

Thirteen DC Police Officers Face Termination in Crime Data Manipulation Scandal

Thirteen members of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) have been placed on administrative leave and served with termination papers following an internal investigation into allegations that department leadership manipulated crime statistics to create a false impression of safety in the nation’s capital.

MPD Interim Chief Jeff Carroll announced Tuesday that the officers were placed on leave after the department’s internal affairs bureau completed its investigation, which stemmed from a referral by the United States Attorney’s Office earlier this year.

“Our Internal Affairs Bureau has completed an investigation into crime reporting,” Carroll said, though he declined to provide specific details about the officers involved or the exact nature of the alleged misconduct.

The scandal first came to light last year when federal investigators uncovered evidence that MPD had systematically misclassified crime reports, making Washington’s crime statistics appear “artificially lower” than reality. The federal probe reviewed nearly 6,000 reports and included interviews with more than 50 witnesses, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

Two comprehensive federal reports on the matter were produced in late 2025 – one by the Justice Department and another by the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee. The House report, titled “How D.C.’s Police Chief Undermined Crime Data Accuracy,” painted a troubling picture of departmental leadership prioritizing public image over accurate crime reporting.

The report alleged that former Police Chief Pamela Smith, who resigned in 2025 during the investigation, created a toxic culture where commanders reporting increased crime rates faced public humiliation and professional retaliation. According to the report, Smith used mandatory crime briefings to “dress down” commanders who reported crime spikes, and those who questioned her methods faced immediate consequences.

This scandal unfolded as President Donald Trump initiated a federal crackdown in Washington amid concerns that the city’s crime situation was worse than official statistics indicated. The administration’s intervention included temporary federal oversight of the police force, highlighting the national significance of public safety in the capital.

DC Police Union President Gregg Pemberton praised the department’s decision to seek termination for the implicated officers, describing it as justice being served.

“The command staff officials responsible for this betrayal must be held accountable, not just for the sake of the thousands of dedicated MPD officers they undermined, but for the residents of the District of Columbia who deserve honest leadership and real public safety,” Pemberton said in a statement.

The union had previously warned officials about what Pemberton described as a “toxic culture of coercion, fear and corruption” that left “thousands of cases not investigated, denied victims justice, gaslit residents and endangered public safety.”

The scandal has raised serious questions about the reliability of crime statistics in major urban centers and the potential political pressures that might influence their reporting. Law enforcement agencies nationwide often face scrutiny over how crime data is collected, classified, and presented to the public, with implications for resource allocation, policy decisions, and public trust.

Despite the ongoing fallout, Interim Chief Carroll expressed confidence in the department’s current crime reporting practices, emphasizing that accurate data remains crucial for effective policing strategies.

“We use crime statistics every day to help us do deployment across the city,” Carroll said. “I do have confidence in those numbers.”

This case highlights the critical importance of transparency and accuracy in public safety reporting, as well as the challenges faced by police departments in maintaining public trust while addressing crime concerns. The outcome of the termination proceedings against the thirteen officers will likely be closely watched as an indicator of accountability within the department.