Comer subpoenas D.C. police for crime data manipulation report
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House Republicans subpoenaed D.C.'s police chief to turn over a 554-page internal investigation into allegations of police officials manipulating crime data.
Why it matters: MPD hasn't released the report, which led to 13 police officials being served termination notices this week, all tied to claims that they had a hand in downplaying crime stats after a surge in violence.
State of play: Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer's office tells Axios the mayor's office acknowledged receiving his subpoena on Wednesday evening, but the city had yet to turn over the report.
- "There is no excuse," Comer posted Friday on X.
- MPD told Axios in a statement: "We are [in] receipt of the subpoena, but we have not responded to the committee at this time."
The latest: The Washington Post reported on the contents of the report on Friday afternoon.
- Among the findings: Interviews with dozens of officers and communications that allege commanders pressured subordinates to reclassify crimes like theft as "lost property." Crimes that were downplayed include violent assaults and robberies, per the Post.
- The report says downgrading crimes "not only deprives the public of knowledge of the true numbers and statistics of crimes but also deprives the individual victims of due process and appropriate resources by undermining the investigative process."
Reality check: The report doesn't allege any homicides were reclassified, the Post noted.
- Homicides in D.C. have declined sharply since 2023, when there were 274 killings — the highest total in 26 years.
The bottom line: The data manipulation allegations cast doubt on a wide range of violent crime trends, even if the overall trajectory points toward public safety improving in recent years.