The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., has opened an investigation into whether city police officials falsified crime data, according to two people familiar with the matter, another salvo in the feud between federal and local authorities after the Trump administration seized control of law enforcement in the nation’s capital. . . .
The D.C. Police Union does not believe the problems with crime‐data manipulation are isolated to just one precinct. While local officials—including Mayor Bowser—have stated that their internal review found irregularities were limited to a single district commander (the 3rd District), the union has cast serious doubt on that claim.
The union’s chairman, Gregg Pemberton, has described the widespread reported drops in violent crime—60‑plus percent since 2023—as “preposterous,” asserting that officers “know the calls we’re responding to” and implying that the numbers don’t match their on‑the‑ground experience. He further claims that directives to downgrade serious offenses come from command staff, suggesting the issue may seep beyond a single precinct.
We have previously listed some of the problems that police officers in the district have pointed to over the last five or so years.
Of course, as we have pointed out, even accepting D.C.’s measure of reported crime, D.C.’s crime rates are extremely high. While Democrats want to make D.C. the 51st state, D.C.’s violent and property crime rates are extremely high relative to the worst state. D.C.’s crime numbers are also very high relative to even many of the worst U.S. cities.
