#news Report confirms DC Police Chief deliberately manipulated crime statistics to make it look like the nation's capital was safer than it actually was.
#DC
A report released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has detailed how outgoing D.C., Metro PD Chief Pamela A. Smith - appointed by Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2023 - used retaliation and fear to push through fake statistics.
The report was in part based on transcribed interviews with commanders from all seven MPD patrol districts and one suspended former commander.
#police
Whistleblower testimony revealed Smith “coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda.”
The manipulation is being described as dangerous.
Details:
🔸️Smith pressured and sometimes directly told commanders to downgrade serious crime classifications to lesser offenses not included in public datasets, such as the Daily Crime Report.
🔸️Pressured Commanders to report lower crime statistics by any means necessary
🔸️She required certain crimes to be reviewed by her office before final classification, incentivizing underreporting.
🔸️Commanders were pushed to use charges that avoided public scrutiny, creating the illusion of declining crime rates.
🔸️Briefings involved public berating of commanders for rising crime figures, with some feeling treated as if they committed the crimes themselves.
🔸️The report also highlighted Smith's alleged retaliation against officers resisting her commands:
🔸️Retaliatory transfers and demotions were used against MPD officials who reported accurate statistics.
🔸️Subordinates faced intimidation, threats, and humiliation for failing to lie about crime
🔸️This fostered a toxic environment of fear, contributing to low morale, officer exodus, and recruitment challenges.
🔸️The allegations surfaced following a 2023 spike in violence that Democrat policies failed to address, prompting President Donald Trump to send in the National Guard
