WashingtonAccording to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to publicly discuss an open investigation, the Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether police officers in Washington, D.C., have fabricated statistics to make crime rates appear lower than they actually are.
The probe takes place in the midst of a heated political battle over control of the police department between the city and the Trump administration. What federal laws might have been broken by the potential falsification of crime statistics was not immediately apparent.
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As he ordered a federal takeover of the city’s police department and poured hundreds of National Guard personnel into the streets, President Donald Trump claimed that violent crime in Washington was increasing. However, he misrepresented or overstated a number of facts regarding public safety in Washington, where crime rates have decreased recently.
Regarding the probe, the office of Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. Emails requesting comment from U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro’s Washington office were not answered.
The investigation was initially covered by the New York Times.
A commander in the Metropolitan Police Department was put on paid administrative leave earlier this year after it was alleged that he had manipulated crime statistics, according to NBC Washington. Last Tuesday, Bowser informed the TV station that the city’s police chief had concerns about a single commander. He looked into all seven districts and confirmed that the issue was with a single individual.
The mayor went on to say, “We are finishing that investigation and we don’t believe it implicates many cases.”
In the first 100 days after Trump’s return to the White House in January, violent crime in Washington has declined, according to former interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, who was Pirro’s predecessor and Trump’s initial choice to serve as the office’s leader. Martin’s office stated in a news release on April 28 that MPD data indicated a 25% decrease in violent crime since the beginning of 2025.
In the announcement, Martin stated, “We are demonstrating that effective policies and strict enforcement can make our communities safer.”
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This report was written by Matt Brown of the Associated Press.
