MPD Faces Firings For Fudging Crime Stats — But There May Be More To The Story
More than a dozen Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officials were placed on administrative leave Monday following an internal investigation into reports of manipulated criminal data, but the Daily Caller has learned there may be more to the story.
A total of 13 MPD officials have been placed on administrative leave and served termination papers “related to the reporting of crimes,” according to Acting DC Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll. The announcement comes after 2025 federal reports challenged the accuracy of D.C. crime data under former Police Chief Pamela Smith, alleging the department downplayed and misclassified hundreds of crimes. (RELATED: MPD Quietly Fires Officials for Manipulating Crime Stats: REPORT)
“Our top priority remains fighting crime and ensuring the safety of residents and visitors to the District of Columbia,” Carroll said during a news conference Tuesday. “MPD cannot provide specific information on the findings of internal investigations or propose adverse action against specific members. Our internal affairs office conducted an investigation into reports of crimes. This investigation was referred to us earlier this year by the United States Attorney’s Office. Beyond that, I cannot go into details of the investigation.”
“What I can tell you is that there have been allegations of misconduct and, based on those allegations, members have been investigated and the outcome is linked to those individuals.”
(Photo by Luke Johnson/Getty Images)
The abrupt upheaval raised alarms for some within the MPD, with a person familiar with the matter telling the Daily Caller that two officials were specifically punished by Smith, who sought to stifle dissent within the ranks.
Cmdr. Michael Pulliam was one of 13 officials who received termination papers Monday as part of the investigation, but denied all allegations, according to NBC News4. Pulliam’s wife, Captain Rachel Pulliam, was also abruptly transferred out of the youth division of the Juvenile Investigative Response Unit in April 2025, just one week after Smith and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the JIRU unit. Pulliam was then reassigned to the midnight shift in the department’s 7th district. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: How DC Police Manipulate Crime Statistics to Provide a False Veneer of Safety)
The source close to the process but who declined to be named told the Daily Caller it was a move by Smith aimed at ending dissent within the ranks.
The source also told the caller that Smith targeted and reprimanded the Pulliams because of a personal dispute with the wife, who was “perceived as insubordinate,” and not because of any alleged manipulation of crime statistics. (RELATED: FBI Director Brags About Falling Crime in Washington Using the Same Police Data Trump Called ‘Fake’)
Pulliam is literally the only D.C. police officer who actually cares about solving crime, the source told the caller.
The Metropolitan Police Department told the Daily Caller it “cannot comment further on internal investigations and personnel matters.” MPD also referred the caller to the press conference held Tuesday by Acting Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll.
