_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
A new 554-page internal affairs report details how Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers allegedly misclassified and downgraded crime statistics to make crime in Washington, DC, appear less severe than it was.
13 officers have been placed on leave, with some already facing termination, following a probe referred by the US Attorney’s Office. The developments come months after President Donald Trump accused DC officials of reporting fake crime numbers and deployed the National Guard to the capital, at a time when the city’s crime was skyrocketing. Only after the National Guard deployment has crime dropped off significantly, with violent crime down 36 percent since last year.
_THE FACTS_
Assistant Chief LaShay Makal and Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy have been placed on administrative leave for allegedly manipulating crime statistics.
An internal email exchange from March 2024 shows a DC police commander asking a sergeant to review theft reports, with the sergeant recommending two dozen cases be reclassified as lesser offenses or "lost property."
Over 700 instances of altered crime reports are under investigation, many of which involve burglary, theft, and shootings.
The report also criticizes the leadership of former DC police chief Pamela A. Smith, saying investigators found her tenure had a “drastic and negative” impact on the department.
President Trump declared nearly a year ago that DC was reporting "fake crime numbers" when he deployed the National Guard to the capital.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) credited his committee's work for exposing the alleged manipulation.
MPD union boss Gregg Pemberton said members had warned about a "toxic culture of coercion, fear, and corruption" that left thousands of cases uninvestigated.
Pemberton stated that "forensic teams were not dispatched, evidence went uncollected, detectives were never notified, and dangerous criminals walked free" while the public received falsified crime statistics.
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb previously sued the federal government over what he called an "unlawful attempt to take over" the MPD.
_OUR TAKE_
DC's crime statistics scandal fits a well-documented pattern in American policing; similar accusations of manipulation have been made in New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, and other major cities.
What makes this case unique is that President Trump faced fierce backlash from Democratic officials over his decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington. Everybody — including Democrats — knew how dangerous the city was. Theft and carjacking had become a normal part of life. Government workers were even being beaten up in the street.
Not only has Trump’s National Guard deployment made the city safer, but it coincides with revelations about MPD’s top brass fudging reports to pretend as if crime wasn’t as bad. Trump consistently noted that the city wasn’t safe, and he called out the city for correctly calling out the “fake crime numbers.” The only conclusion to draw is that the president has been vindicated.
