Trump's Justice Department is investigating whether DC police officials
falsified crime data
[August 20, 2025]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON
(AP) — The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether
police officials in Washington, D.C., have falsified data to make crime
rates appear lower than they are, according to two people familiar with
the probe who weren't authorized to publicly discuss an open
investigation. |
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks, accompanied by Metropolitan
Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith, during a news conference on
President Donald Trump's plan to place Washington police under federal
control and deploy National Guard troops to Washington, Monday, Aug. 11,
2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File) |
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The investigation comes amid an escalating — and political —
showdown between the Trump administration and the city over
control of the police department. It wasn’t immediately clear
what federal laws could have been violated by the possible
manipulation of crime data.
President Donald Trump claimed that violent crime in Washington
is getting worse as he ordered a federal takeover of the city's
police department, flooding the streets with hundreds of
National Guard members. But he exaggerated or misstated many
facts about public safety in Washington, where crime rates have
fallen in recent years.
Mayor Muriel Bowser's office declined to comment on the
investigation. A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro's
office in Washington didn't respond to emails seeking comment.
The New York Times was first to report on the investigation.
Earlier this year, a Metropolitan Police Department commander
suspected of manipulating crime data was placed on paid
administrative leave, NBC Washington reported. Bowser told the
television station last Tuesday that the city's police chief
“had concerns about one commander, investigated all seven
districts and verified that the concern was with one person.”
“So, we are completing that investigation and we don’t believe
it implicates many cases,” the mayor added.
Former interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, who was Pirro’s
predecessor and Trump’s first pick to lead the office, said
Washington’s violent crime had decreased in the first 100 days
since Trump returned to the White House in January. In an April
28 news release, Martin’s office said MPD data showed that
violent crime had dropped by 25 percent since the start of 2025.
“We are proving that strong enforcement and smart policies can
make our communities safer,” Martin said in the release.
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Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.
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