The US Justice Department has initiated an investigation into whether Washington, D.C., police officials fudged crime statistics to present the city as safer than it is, according to sources involved in the investigation. Details are still sparse, as the officials discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because the investigation is under way.
The question arises in the wake of increased political tensions between the Trump administration and city leadership over who should control the police department. President Donald Trump has continued to say that violent crime is on the rise in Washington, which has led him to send hundreds of National Guard troops into the city and call for federal control of local law enforcement.
Contrary to Trump's claims, crime rates in Washington have fallen in recent years. Reports show that a Metropolitan Police Department commander who was suspected of tampering with crime statistics was put on administrative leave as the department conducted an investigation earlier this year. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged that the issue was only with one commander out of seven police districts and stated preliminary indications indicate few cases are involved.
Previous acting US Attorney Ed Martin, who preceded Jeannine Pirro, stressed that Washington's violent crime decreased during the initial months of 2025. Statistics issued by Martin's office on April 28 reflected a 25 percent decline in violent crime since January, highlighting that effective enforcement and policy reforms have been factors for greater public safety.
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The Justice Department would not say which federal laws were potentially broken, and city officials have mostly refused to comment. The New York Times first disclosed the investigation, which comes at a politically delicate time as the Trump administration is pressuring the city regarding policing practices.
While the investigation considers whether there was data manipulation, officials point out that the inquiry could also represent deeper tensions between federal and local government around the transparency of law enforcement. As both sides quote differing crime figures, scrutiny of Washington police records is likely to keep attracting national attention in the weeks ahead.
