The Justice Department is looking into claims that the Washington, D.C. police department may have skewed crime statistics to present a more favorable picture, according to sources. Two individuals in the know confirmed that the DOJ is examining the integrity of crime data from the capital. This investigation seems to stem from President Trump’s assertions that the crime figures were manipulated.
“D.C. provided misleading crime statistics to create a false sense of security,” Trump posted on The Truth Society on Monday morning. He emphasized the seriousness of the investigation, claiming that before recent adjustments, Washington, D.C. was the most dangerous city in the United States.
Trump’s announcement came on August 11, in response to a series of high-profile killings and a noticeable uptick in crime in the district since 2020.
Weeks prior, the D.C. police faced accusations of altering crime data to present better statistics. “When our members arrive at a crime scene, they are often directed to record incidents in a way that minimizes their severity,” said Greg Penton, Chair of the DC Police Union, in a July interview. “For instance, they might reclassify shootings or stabbings as less severe incidents.” This kind of reassessment, he argues, distorts the reality of crime trends.
The scrutiny intensified after police commander Michael Puliam was reportedly suspended in mid-May for potentially manipulating crime data in his district, though he has denied the allegations. Interestingly, just a week prior to his suspension, Puliam had filed a complaint regarding equal employment opportunities against a local outlet.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office and the Metropolitan Police Department for comments on the DOJ’s investigation, but did not immediately receive a response.
On the political front, some Democrats and local residents have accused Trump of overreaching in his federal intervention in the city, arguing that violent crime rates have decreased and that there wasn’t a pressing need to deploy the National Guard.
“Violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at its lowest in 30 years,” asserted Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, on August 11. He criticized Trump’s move as baseless and called for a reassessment of law and order issues.
In a similar vein, Hillary Clinton tweeted her disagreement with the deployment and cited the drop in violent crime as a sign that the D.C. police did not require federal oversight.
Washington, D.C. has indeed experienced its own share of crime spikes, particularly during the tumultuous year of 2020. Murders, for instance, surged to 274 in 2023, after hitting 226 in 2021 and 203 in 2022, but police reports for 2024 presented a different picture, citing a nearly 31% reduction in homicides since the previous year.
Experts point out, however, that while violent crime rates may appear to fall, an increase in fatalities related to violent incidents, particularly among youth gangs, has emerged as a significant concern. A July study highlighted this trend, revealing startling increases in lethality associated with violent crimes in D.C.
The data indicated that D.C. showed a staggering 341% increase in lethality compared to 2012. In 2012, 13 murders occurred per 1,000 serious violent crimes; that figure rose to 57 murders per 1,000 serious violent crimes in 2024.
Trump, during a press conference on August 14, commented on the investigations ongoing, reiterating his belief that the reported crime statistics were misleading. “They present these fake crime numbers the same way they do in the financial sector,” he said. “Washington, D.C. is considered the worst, yet they are trying to show it as the best.”
