The Justice Department is currently looking into whether crime statistics from the Washington, D.C. Police Department have been manipulated to create a misleading impression of safety in the area.
“We’re investigating this because, well, anyone who lives in D.C. knows it hasn’t been a very safe place for quite some time,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche in an interview with Laura Ingraham on Tuesday.
This inquiry, focusing on allegations that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is skewing data to present lower crime rates, is reportedly being led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office. Various outlets have covered this developing situation.
There are serious consequences for officials found to have tampered with federal data, with possible charges of fraud, obstruction, or making false statements, as reported by the Washington Post.
These allegations regarding false crime statistics arise amidst significant efforts to address crime in the nation’s capital.
MPD commander Michael Puliam has been on paid leave since mid-May while an internal investigation examines changes he allegedly made to crime data. Reports indicate that he may have altered violent crime statistics to paint a more favorable picture of the city.
Puliam’s police union has come to his defense, claiming that MPD leadership instructed officers to manipulate the violent crime figures.
“It’s not shocking to hear about these kinds of reports suggesting that D.C. may be safer than it really is,” Blanche noted during the interview with Ingraham. “We are looking into this, and I hope we can get clarity soon.”
Trump seemed to allude to the investigation in a post on Social Truth Monday night, asserting, “D.C. provided false crime statistics to create a false sense of safety.” He further highlighted that this is “a very bad and dangerous thing,” emphasizing that a serious investigation is underway.
As of now, the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office and the MPD have not responded to requests for comment.
