Jeffery Carroll named interim DC police chief days after scathing report claimed agency was fudging crime data

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday that veteran police officer Jeffery Carroll will step in as the interim chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, following the earlier decision that the current chief would resign.

Carroll, who has worked for the department since 2002, takes the helm amid a federal law‑enforcement operation that President Donald Trump rolled out in August. That administration billed the push as a means to address historically high crime rates, which had begun to decline in recent years.

In his present post as executive assistant chief of specialized operations, Carroll manages the department’s day‑to‑day functions. He earned this title from outgoing chief Pamela Smith in 2023.

Carroll’s visibility rose sharply after he appeared alongside Mayor Bowser at press conferences following the fatal shooting of two National Guard soldiers while they were on duty at a subway station near the White House. During the initial briefing, he explained that a lone gunman was responsible for the attack.

Like many of his predecessors, Carroll is a career officer who worked his way up through the MPD ranks.

His appointment follows a period of intense scrutiny. Congress and the U.S. attorney’s office have questioned how the MPD reports crime statistics, while city council members and residents have raised concerns about the department’s collaboration with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement program, which resulted in the detention of hundreds of people beyond criminal arrests.

Smith, who joined the department in 2023, was brought in to stabilize a force grappling with staffing shortages and a city rattled by post‑pandemic crime spikes.

Her tenure, however, was marked by a fierce power struggle as Trump claimed federal authority over the MPD, deploying National Guard units and federal agents alongside the city’s officers.

The 2023 surge in violence prompted congressional hearings and led city leaders to expand police powers, including the creation of drug‑free zones in high‑crime neighborhoods. Lawmakers also reworked portions of the city’s criminal code to curb the rise in violent offenses.

At the start of 2024, the city began to see progress. Crime fell roughly 17% in the first ten weeks of the year—a trend Smith credited to new legislation and targeted deployments in troubled neighborhoods. She also instituted temporary youth curfew zones across several districts.

This shift in police leadership comes as Mayor Bowser, a Democrat, has announced she will not seek re‑election next year.

Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.