Thirteen Washington, DC police officers, including reportedly some “high ranking” department officials, have been suspended in connection with an internal investigation into how the department has been formulating crime statistics — a matter also probed by Congress and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Washington interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll announced the suspensions on Tuesday. It is seen as the first step in part of a sometimes lengthy process of terminating their employment.
Carroll took over the top cop spot six months ago after the resignation of former chief Pamela Smith amid allegations that Metropolitan Police Department officials were manipulating crime data in the District.
Carroll said Tuesday at a news conference that assessments and training were underway for officers on how to submit data. He said the internal investigation would not be released publicly.
In December, a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, acting on whistleblower disclosures, found the former police chief had been manipulating crime statistics.
According to its report:
Chief Smith’s Pressure Campaign Against Staff Led to Inaccurate Crime Data: Testimony revealed that Chief Smith prioritized lowering publicly reported crime numbers over reducing actual crime, placing intense pressure on district commanders to produce low crime statistics by any means necessary. Commanders also testified that Chief Smith pushed for more frequent use of lesser, intermediate charges — which are not publicly reported — and required certain crimes to be reviewed by her office, actions that together amounted to manipulating crime data to present the illusion of lower crime in the District.
Smith has denied ordering or encouraging any manipulation of police data.
The 13 officers were placed on administrative leave. Before they can be terminated they’re entitled to certain administrative procedures, including appealing disciplinary action.
Oversight committee chairman James Comer (R-KY) posted his reaction to the announcement of the suspensions on X.
“Make no mistake: top D.C. law enforcement terminations are due to the Oversight Committee exposing how D.C. Police leaders manipulated crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to push an agenda,” he wrote. “This isn’t over. I want every document from MPD’s [Metropolitan Police Department] internal investigation.”
The interim chief said despite the scandal the department has been reducing crime over the last three years, especially in homicides, shootings, and carjacking.
“We use crime statistics every day to help us with deployment across the city. I do have confidence in those numbers,” he told reporters.
Carroll said the department’s internal affairs investigation was prompted by a referral earlier this year from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He declined to get into specifics.
“What I can tell you is there were allegations of misconduct that were made, and based on those allegations, members were investigated, and the outcome is related to these individuals,” he told the news conference.
The Metropolitan Police Department’s crime stats have been under scrutiny following President Donald Trump’s decision to issue an emergency order last summer that federalized the police force and flooded the streets with National Guard troops, an action which the president has bragged made the city the safest in the country.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office launched a separate investigation into crime statistics and found that a significant number of MPD reports had been misclassified to make crime rates appear lower than they were.
Pirro’s investigation did not find grounds to bring criminal charges against individuals in the department. Pirro said at the time it was up to the MPD to take steps to address “these underlying issues.”
An investigation by the District’s inspector general’s office also began a probe in January into the crime statistics reporting system. That investigation remains ongoing.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
