Key facts
- A report by the D.C. Inspector General found a "prolonged, systemic breakdown" in the Metropolitan Police Department's crime statistics collection system.
- The investigation reviewed MPD crime data from 2015 through 2025 and did not find evidence of fraud or intentional manipulation.
- The report recommended establishing a permanent, independent crime report review function to ensure data accuracy.
- The issues stemmed partly from the 2013 dissolution of an independent unit that previously reviewed statistics gathering.
- A Republican-led House Committee and a U.S. Attorney's office had previously investigated potential data manipulation by the MPD.
A report released by the D.C. Inspector General has found that the Metropolitan Police Department's (MPD) crime statistics collection system suffered a "prolonged, systemic breakdown of its internal control system" between 2015 and 2025. The investigation, initiated by Mayor Muriel Bowser, reviewed the department's data handling processes following accusations from the federal government that crime figures were manipulated.
The report did not uncover evidence of fraud or intentional manipulation but detailed significant flaws in the controls governing crime data. These issues were exacerbated by the 2013 dissolution of an independent unit responsible for reviewing the statistics gathering process, which led to classification errors and uncorrected explanations passing through approval.
The findings come amid scrutiny from the Trump administration, which federalized the police force and launched an operation in Washington, D.C., citing rising crime. Local officials, however, maintained that crime was already declining. Critics argued that the problematic statistics inaccurately downplayed the impact of Trump's initiative.
To address the issues, the report recommended five steps, including the establishment of a permanent, independent crime report review function with trained personnel empowered to return reports for correction. The MPD has stated it is implementing measures such as increased training and creating a Data Quality and Compliance Branch to enforce objective reporting and conduct systematic reviews.
Previously, a Republican-led House Committee had accused Washington's former police chief of pressuring subordinates to manipulate data, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office also found significant misclassification of MPD reports. However, neither investigation led to criminal charges. In May, interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll announced that 13 officers were placed on administrative leave in connection with an internal investigation into crime statistics handling, with 11 still on leave and two having left the department.