A brand new House committee report alleges the previous DC police chief pressured officers to control crime data to create the looks of a safer metropolis.
The report, launched Sunday by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, claims there was an lively effort to downplay crime within the nation’s capital and that Chief Pamela A. Smith fostered a “toxic management culture.”
The report comes as President Donald Trump has sought greater control over legislation enforcement within the district, citing a public safety emergency in August. Trump deployed National Guard troops and put the police division “under direct federal control” for 30 days.
The committee’s report stated the panel interviewed a number of present DC district police commanders who claimed Smith retaliated towards officers who resisted strain to skew crime data, together with by means of demotions and transfers.
The report went additional and said Smith “propagated an ecosystem of fear, retaliation, and toxicity,” claiming she positioned “intense pressure on district commanders to produce low crime statistics by any means necessary.”
“Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Chair James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, stated in a press release.
Smith, who was appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2023, introduced final week she was stepping down. In her resignation announcement, she stated she was “profoundly grateful” to serve in her position and that she believes she left the division in a “strong position.”
Smith started serving as police chief in an appearing capability in July 2023 and was confirmed to the position by the DC City Council that November.
Smith took over the division throughout a interval of excessive crime within the metropolis. The Metropolitan Police Department has put out a number of experiences since then displaying a gentle decline of crime. Its data as of December 12 discovered that violent crime declined 28% yr to this point from 2024.
The Metropolitan Police Department and Smith didn’t instantly reply to NCS’s request for remark.
Smith has beforehand denied allegations that she manipulated crime data when she helmed the division.
“I have never and will never authorize or even support any thought processes or activities in regards to crime numbers being manipulated,” she stated in a latest interview with native station FOX 5.
The committee advisable that Bowser appoint an unbiased police chief to revive transparency and morale.
The mayor informed NCS in a press release in response to the report that “The precipitous decline in crime in our city is attributable to their hard work and dedication and Chief Smith’s leadership. I thank Chief Smith for her commitment to the safety of DC residents and for holding the Metropolitan Police Department to an exacting standard, and I expect no less from our next Chief of Police.”
NCS beforehand reported that the Trump Justice Department can also be investigating whether or not the Metropolitan Police Department manipulated crime data.
Despite Trump’s claims this yr that crime is “out of control,” data exhibits violent crime in Washington, DC, has been declining since its 2023 spike, with two years of sustained enchancment.
There have been 274 reported homicides in 2023, the town’s highest quantity since 1997. But there was a 32% drop in 2024 to 187 and one other 12% fall by means of August of this yr.
Carjackings noticed the same development. After surging to 959 in 2023, the variety of reported carjackings dropped to round 500 in 2024.