Thirteen officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, including two senior commanders, have been placed on administrative leave as the department investigates allegations that crime data was systematically falsified to make the city appear safer. The move, announced Tuesday by interim Chief Jeffery Carroll, has drawn sharp reactions from federal prosecutors who say they flagged the problem months ago.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro told reporters Thursday she was “not surprised” by the suspensions. Her office launched its own investigation last August, before MPD’s internal affairs unit began looking into the matter. “We knew those stats were deflated,” Pirro said, alleging that officers downgraded serious offenses: assault with a deadly weapon was reclassified as reckless endangerment, burglary as unlawful entry, and theft as lost property.
The suspended officers include Assistant Chief LaShay Makal and Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy, according to The Washington Post. Carroll stressed that no one has been fired, only placed on leave pending the outcome of the administrative process. “Beyond that, I cannot get into any specifics of the investigation,” he said. “The administrative process must be allowed to take its course.”
The probe was referred to MPD by the U.S. Attorney’s Office earlier this year. Pirro defended Carroll as “terrific” and said her office referred the findings to internal affairs for appropriate action. The revelations echo concerns raised by President Trump, who last August surged federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to D.C., arguing the city had been “overtaken” by violent criminals and that official crime numbers were misleading.
Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time: “D.C. gave Fake Crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety.” He later declared the city a “crime-free zone,” citing a 14 percent drop in overall crime and a 39 percent decline in violent crime after his executive order. Democrats expressed skepticism about those figures, and the new probe underscores ongoing doubts about the reliability of MPD data.
Carroll, who took over as interim chief in December, insisted Thursday that the department has made real progress. “Homicides, shootings and carjackings have fallen steadily since 2023,” he said, adding that his top priorities remain fighting crime, building community trust, and supporting officers. The department’s crime reporting practices are also under scrutiny on Capitol Hill. The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), issued a report in December alleging that former MPD Chief Pamela Smith pressured commanders to manipulate statistics.
Comer said Tuesday: “Every single person who lives, works, or visits our nation’s capital deserves a safe city, yet it’s clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in Washington.” He demanded MPD turn over its internal report and all related documents. Carroll did not commit to handing over the records, saying only that the department would continue communicating with the committee.
Pirro left the door open to further investigations, including the possibility of revisiting the Trump-era probe into the origins of the Russia investigation, as outlined in a related article on The World Signal. The controversy also mirrors broader concerns about data integrity in law enforcement agencies nationwide.
