D.C. police in turmoil after allegations of crime stats being cooked
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Jeffrey Carroll has been Mayor Bowser's interim police chief since December. Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
D.C.'s police department is in turmoil after its interim chief said 13 officials were served termination letters amid a widening investigation about crime stats being downplayed.
Why it matters: The Metropolitan Police Department was already dealing with low staffing and eroding morale.
- Now, less than a year since President Trump briefly took over the department, the allegations that police leaders misclassified some crimes to juke the numbers have renewed Republican pressure on the city.
The latest: MPD is investigating the accuracy of its own record-keeping after 2023's spike in violence.
- Top officials facing termination include Commander Michael Pulliam, who was already on leave and denied allegations he manipulated stats, NBC4 reported. Among the brass are another commander and a captain.
- Interim chief Jeffery Carroll didn't detail specifics about the officials, but said at a press conference on Tuesday that their terminations are tied to the probe.
- They will have the right to defend themselves through MPD's internal disciplinary process.
By the numbers: Homicides have been dropping from a 26-year high in 2023, when 274 killings were reported — and violent crimes like carjackings and robberies soared.
- There were 128 homicides last year.
- "We have made meaningful progress over the last three years in reducing crime," said Carroll, though the ongoing probe calls into question the accuracy of specific stats.
Catch up quick: Trump claimed last summer that D.C. police were putting out "phony" stats.
- The DOJ and congressional Republicans are also investigating MPD supervisors. Republicans cast blame on the last police chief, Pamela Smith, who, in a fiery farewell speech last year, denounced allegations she ever directed anyone to alter stats.
On Monday, the House GOP Oversight Committee said MPD "must release EVERY document from their internal investigation into manipulated crime data."
- The committee, which has sometimes worked with Mayor Muriel Bowser on topics like RFK Stadium's redevelopment, has been adversarial on policing: "We're not stopping until the full truth is out."