DC police chief accused of fudging crime data in blistering report days after resignation announced
WASHINGTON — DC police chief Pamela Smith has been accused of pressuring officers to hide or recategorize crime data so that the city’s daily public statistics look better, a recent House Oversight Committee report claims.
The investigation says Smith told commanders to “lower crime statistics by any means necessary,” rerouting some assault and burglary charges into less‑visible categories and even asking subordinates to withhold certain violent‑offense reports entirely.
Seven district commanders testified that Smith was unhappy with the number of “publicly reported crimes,” would berate them for reporting too much, and at times threatened a downgrade of cases such as “assault with a dangerous weapon.”
One commander, Michael Pulliam of the 3rd District, has already been suspended and placed on paid leave after being accused of manipulating the figures.
The report details the city’s five daily‑reportable property crimes—burglary, motor‑vehicle theft, theft from a vehicle, other theft and arson—and its four violent crimes—homicide, sexual abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon and robbery.
In a separate thread, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on December 8 that Smith would be stepping down, and a forthcoming Justice Department review is expected to echo these findings.
Trump’s federal crackdown, launched in August amid a spike in violent incidents and the shooting of a congressional intern, was defended by the mayor as a necessary partnership that would bring in National Guard troops and additional federal agents to aid local policing.
Despite Trump’s claims that crime data had been “faked” to create a false sense of safety, Bowser has insisted that violent crime has fallen to a 30‑year low in the last two years.
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