Washington police put 13 officers on administrative leave in internal
crime statistics investigation
[May 06, 2026]
By GARY FIELDS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said
Tuesday that 13 officers have been placed on administrative leave in
connection with an internal investigation into how the department keeps
crime statistics, a subject that also has been looked into by Congress
and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Carroll said the officers
were placed on administrative leave on Monday following an investigation
that began earlier this year after a referral from the U.S. Attorney’s
Office.
He declined multiple times to talk about the specifics of the
investigation. “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 said.
Carroll said none of the officers had been fired and explained they have
administrative rights, including asking for an “adverse action panel”
made up of high-ranking officers who hear the evidence and determine
whether any discipline is necessary. “The administrative process must be
allowed to take its course, and that process is outlined in our MPD
general orders,” Carroll said.
The police force’s crime statistics collection has faced widespread
scrutiny in the past year, following a decision by President Donald
Trump to issue a monthlong emergency order last summer that federalized
the police force and launched a federal law enforcement operation in the
nation’s capital that his Republican administration said was meant to
fight crime.
Trump continuously touted the drop in crime during and after the surge
as proof that the operation made the city the safest in the country.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials say crime was
already trending downward.
Republicans and the administration responded by questioning whether the
data was being manipulated, which limited the success of the surge. The
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Justice
Department conducted separate investigations.
A report released in December by the House Committee found that
then-police Chief Pamela Smith often threatened, punished and retaliated
against police commanders who presented her with “spikes in crime.” The
police chief in the nation’s capital pressured subordinates to
manipulate department data to artificially lower the city’s crime rates,
according to the report by the Republican-led congressional committee.
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Interim Chief of Police of the Metropolitan Police Department
listens during a press conference following a shooting at the White
House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday,
April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
A separate investigation by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office
also found that a significant number of MPD reports had been
misclassified to make crime rates appear lower than they are.
Neither investigation found grounds to charge anyone with a crime.
Pirro said at the time it was up to the MPD to take steps to address
“these underlying issues.”
James Comer, chairman of the House oversight committee, said in a
statement that the department’s personnel decision on the
manipulation of crime data was “a step in the right direction.” But,
Comer said, the action only confirmed the work of his committee and
he expected "to receive MPD’s internal report and all related
documents to ensure crime data is reported accurately and that
anyone responsible for manipulation is held accountable.”
Carroll, who took over as interim chief in December, said Tuesday
that assessments and training were underway for officers on how to
submit data. He added that the internal investigation would not be
released publicly.
The chief said that the department had been successful in 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 said.
Bowser also called for an independent investigation by the city's
inspector general. That probe began in January.
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