Federal investigation finds D.C. police misclassified crime reports

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Monday that a months-long federal investigation revealed widespread misclassification of crime reports by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), making crime statistics in Washington, D.C. “artificially lower.”

Pirro said the findings were based on a review of nearly 6,000 reports and interviews with more than 50 witnesses, showing that Washington’s crime figures were significantly underestimated.

“It is evident that a significant number of reports have been misclassified, making crime artificially appear lower than it was,” Pirro said in a statement.

Pirro said MPD’s conduct “does not rise to the level of a criminal charge” but added that it is the department’s responsibility to “take steps to internally address these underlying issues.”

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D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Dec. 15 that an investigation found widespread misclassification of crime reports by the Metropolitan Police Department. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Pirro’s office began investigating reports of deflated crime statistics last August, as President Donald Trump launched a federal crackdown on crime in the District.

Trump issued an executive order aimed at combating the “crime epidemic” in the nation’s capital and deployed federal law enforcement, including the National Guard.

“The discovery of these manipulated crime statistics clearly shows that President Trump reduced crime even more than initially thought, since crimes were actually higher than reported,” Pirro said. “His efforts to fight crime have brought even more security to the people of the district.”

Trump says crime in Chicago has dropped dramatically despite “extraordinary resistance” from local Democrats.

Department of Homeland Security Investigations agents join Metropolitan Police Department officers as they conduct traffic stops at a checkpoint along the Northwest 14th Street corridor in Washington, DC, Wednesday, August 13, 2025. (José Luis Magana/AP Photo)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment and additional information on its investigation into MPD.

Pirro’s statement comes after the House Oversight Committee released an interim report Sunday saying outgoing MPD Chief Pamela Smith, who announced her resignation Dec. 8, oversaw an unprecedented crime reporting response system.

The Republican-led committee alleges that Smith pressured commanders to lower crime classifications and retaliated against those who reported spikes, according to the congressional report.

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The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department has been accused of manipulating crime statistics. (Getty Images)

MPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Ashley Carnahan of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.