Police officers in DC claim crime misclassification to the Justice Department

DC Police Allegations of Crime Data Misreporting

According to the Washington Post, police officers in Washington, DC, have expressed concerns to the Department of Justice about the misclassification of crimes, suggesting that this practice is skewing reported statistics to make crime appear worse than it really is. Approximately 30 officers, including detectives, have filed complaints with the DOJ during an ongoing investigation into the potential intentional misreporting of crime statistics stemming from the Trump administration.

In August, amid rising crime concerns, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to the city, citing the need to combat issues he described as “crime, bloodshed, bedlam, squalor.” He asserted that the administration would tackle these problems rapidly, stating, “we’ll clean it up really quickly.”

Crime Statistics vs. Reality

In a startling context, DC murder rates in July exceeded coronavirus-related deaths by nearly three to one. Trump, during a press conference, referred to the city’s growing crime situation as “embarrassing,” emphasizing a belief that lawlessness was becoming rampant.

Reports indicate that leadership within the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has guided officers to downgrade serious offenses. In certain precincts, it’s alleged that as many as 150 incidents have been misclassified, particularly within the Southeast DC Seventh area. Strikingly, in many of these instances, supervisors later upgraded the charges.

While city leaders and Democratic representatives highlight data suggesting a drop in violent crime to its lowest levels in three decades, both the DOJ and House oversight committees are probing the validity of these numbers, suspecting internal manipulation.

The DOJ’s investigation is associated with Jeanine Pirro’s office. Additionally, there’s scrutiny over a new crime classification not currently part of DC’s violent crime statistics—this applies to incidents where a gun is fired, but intent is unclear. Reports suggest that many shootings resulting in injuries are being categorized under this definition.