The inspector general in Washington, D.C., has opened an investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department’s crime reporting system following allegations that the police force manipulated its data to lower the city’s crime rates artificially.
In a letter sent Monday to interim MPD Chief Jeffery Carroll, Inspector General Daniel Lucas said he aims to “assess the design, implementation, and operation of MPD’s internal control system for collecting, classifying and reporting crime data and statistics.”
The inspection comes one month after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office found evidence that the police department systematically altered crime data. However, the top federal prosecutor noted that the actions do not amount to criminal conduct and thus advised MPD to address the matter internally.
Pirro’s office launched the investigation in August, around the time when President Donald Trump federalized local police and activated the National Guard to fight crime in the district.
Carroll said the department would be taking several steps to address the underlying issues, including improved training for officers to classify crimes and a newly created audit team that would examine crime data reports to ensure they are properly classified.
The interim police chief took over from Pamela Smith, who announced her resignation last month just before the House Oversight Committee released a damning report that confirmed her involvement in manipulating crime statistics. The report outlined how the then-police chief used “fear, intimidation, threats, and retaliation” against police commanders who presented her with crime increases.
Smith denied she directed any officer to change the police department’s numbers.
Mayor Muriel Bowser appointed Carroll to replace the embattled police chief following the report. Smith’s resignation took effect on Dec. 31, 2025.
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Bowser also asked the inspector general to launch an investigation into MPD’s process of collecting crime data after the House Oversight Committee and the Department of Justice confirmed allegations that some of the statistics may have been fake, per the Associated Press.
MPD reported there were 127 homicides in the district last year, marking a 32% decrease from 2024. Violent crime, which includes sexual abuse and robbery, dropped 29% overall in 2025.