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554-page internal affairs report details DC police crime stats manipulation

Nbcwashington · · 606 words · By Paul Wagner
Crime Statistic Manipulation Institutional accountability Police misconduct
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What to know about Crime Statistic Manipulation

The internal affairs report detailing the misclassification of crime statistics in the Metropolitan Police Department shows 19 officials face misconduct charges, including the 13 facing termination.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The internal affairs report detailing the misclassification of crime statistics in the Metropolitan Police Department shows 19 officials face misconduct charges, including the 13 facing termination.

Why it matters

Six investigators and three supervisors at internal affairs spent more than two months interviewing dozens of officers and officials.

Common ground

They seized phones and examined countless emails, text messages and crime reports and found a willingness to reclassify crimes for a variety of reasons to make it appear crime was lower than it actually was, according to the 554-page report.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/internal-affairs-report-dc-police-crime…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
schedule Pending 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
Claim 1: “Wright announced his retirement Wednesday.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'Wednesday' and 'Andre Wright' returned irrelevant results (a TV show and a football player) and did not confirm the retirement date of the MPD official.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jenna Ortega's "Wednesday Dance" goes viral.
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a42158045/wednesday…
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web search NEUTRAL — Andre Antonio Wright (born 7 December 1996) is an English football player. He is a forward who currently plays for Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.
https://Alchetron.com/Andre-Wright
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web search NEUTRAL — So you've got yourself a new Hisense 4K/120Hz, but you're stuck at 60Hz and can't get the 4K/120Hz up and running? This video should help! Be sure to share t...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSyY2JQLYIE
help
Claim 2: “After News4 reported in July that Cmdr. Michael Pulliam had been placed on leave and accused by then Chief of Police Pam Smith of manipulating crime stats, the Department of Justice and the House Oversight Committee launched their own investigations.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to corroborate the DOJ or House Oversight Committee investigations specifically triggered by Michael Pulliam's case.
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Claim 3: “Natasha Wright, an inspector in the department”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly identify Natasha Wright as an inspector in the MPD and the wife of Andre Wright.
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web search NEUTRAL — Two high-ranking Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employees have been placed on administrative leave, the department confirmed Thursday afternoon.Executive
https://wjla.com/news/local/mpd-executive-assistant-chief-an…
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web search NEUTRAL — Executive Assistant Chief Andre Wright and Inspector Natasha Wright, his wife, are both off duty, a D.C. police spokesperson said, declining to say why. "MPD cannot comment on active internal ...
https://wtop.com/dc/2026/03/two-senior-d-c-police-officials-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Two top Metropolitan Police Department officials, Executive Assistant Chief Andre Wright and his wife, Inspector Natasha Wright, have been placed on paid administrative leave following an internal inv…
https://helm.news/2026-03-06/two-top-mpd-officials-including…
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Claim 4: “they... found a willingness to reclassify crimes for a variety of reasons to make it appear crime was lower than it actually was, according to the 554-page report.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the report's length (554 pages) and its finding that crimes were downgraded (e.g., Robbery to theft) to make crime rates appear lower.
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web search NEUTRAL — Investigators found multiple instances where more serious crimes were downgraded to lesser offenses, including: Robbery → reclassified as theft or simple assault. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (ADW)…
https://wjla.com/features/i-team/dc-metropolitan-police-repo…
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web search NEUTRAL — This 554-page report needs to be delivered to the House Oversight Committee immediately.I expect to receive MPD’s internal report and all related documents to ensure crime data is reported accurately …
https://headlineusa.com/house-gop-subpoenas-infamous-dc-poli…
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web search NEUTRAL — I reviewed an 18-page internal affairs synopsis of the investigation into Wright’s text messages with his wife, who works in the police department’s human resources department. The report shows that W…
https://dc.citycast.fm/news/andre-wright-texts-mpd-investiga…
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Claim 5: “All 13 MPD employees issued termination letters are on leave and have the legal right to appeal.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “in April 2019 and December 2019, internal affairs investigated allegations of manipulating crime stats in two police districts. Both investigations ended without anyone facing discipline.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 7: “The internal affairs report detailing the misclassification of crime statistics in the Metropolitan Police Department shows 19 officials face misconduct charges, including the 13 facing termination.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm an MPD internal report regarding crime data changes/downgrading and that 13 officers face potential discipline including termination.
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web search NEUTRAL — MPD internal report alleges commanders reclassified crimes to lower DC crime stats, prompting scrutiny and possible terminations of officials.
https://wjla.com/news/local/mpd-internal-affairs-investigati…
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web search NEUTRAL — Internal Affairs. Crime downgrading. Police misconduct.However, the Internal Affairs report sustained multiple administrative violations, and 13 officers now face potential discipline , including term…
https://wjla.com/features/i-team/internal-investigation-mpd-…
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web search NEUTRAL — (Washington, DC) – Agents from the Force Investigation Team of the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Internal Affairs Bureau are investigating a US Park Police officer-involved shooting that left…
https://mpdc.dc.gov/release/mpd-internal-affairs-investigati…
info
Claim 8: “Six investigators and three supervisors at internal affairs spent more than two months interviewing dozens of officers and officials.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general existence of the report is corroborated, the specific detail regarding 'six investigators and three supervisors' spending 'more than two months' is not explicitly detailed in the provided search snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — Internal Affairs. Investigations. Minneapolis Police Reserve.In the 1930s the MPD was involved in ending labor disputes. The department found an accommodation with local mobsters.[citation needed] Dur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department
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web search NEUTRAL — MPD internal report alleges commanders reclassified crimes to lower DC crime stats, prompting scrutiny and possible terminations of officials.
https://wjla.com/news/local/mpd-internal-affairs-investigati…
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web search NEUTRAL — • MPD officers, supervisors, and field training officers receive deficient training, which emphasizes a paramilitary approach to policing that results in officers unnecessarily escalating encounters o…
https://mn.gov/mdhr/assets/Investigation+into+the+City+of+Mi…
schedule
Claim 9: “Capt. George Donigian, who investigators say reclassified 360 reports.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 10: “investigators with internal affairs say Pulliam changed the classifications in 157 reports.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific number of reports (157) changed by Michael Pulliam.
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Claim 11: “Lashay Makal — who until recently was an assistant chief overseeing patrol”
CORROBORATED
Official MPD sources and news reports confirm LaShay Makal served as Assistant Chief of Patrol Services South.
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web search NEUTRAL — Assistant Chief, Patrol Services South (PSS). LaShay Makal currently serves as the Assistant Chief of Patrol Services South (PSS), which includes the First, Sixth, and Seventh police districts.
https://mpdc.dc.gov/biography/lashay-makal
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web search NEUTRAL — The documents also raise other questions. For instance, 2nd District Commander Tatjana Savoy and Assistant Chief LaShay Makal are no longer anywhere to be found on the command staff, and other officer…
https://wjla.com/features/i-team/dc-police-mpd-commander-ass…
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web search NEUTRAL — “We are working diligently to put the pieces together,” Assistant Chief LaShay Makal, who oversees patrols in Southeast, Capitol Hill and parts of downtown, said Tuesday about the shootings. “What we …
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/5/four-killed-…
info
Claim 12: “investigators say they found an email that showed the opposite when Makal was commander of the 7th District.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While it is confirmed that Makal was the commander of the 7th District, the specific detail about an email showing she influenced reporting classifications is not explicitly detailed in the provided snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — Emblem of the Internal Affairs Unit, National Police Corps (Spain). Internal affairs (often known as IA) is a division of a law enforcement agency that investigates incidents and possible suspicions o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_affairs_(law_enforcem…
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web search NEUTRAL — LaShay Makal currently serves as the Assistant Chief of Patrol Services South (PSS), which includes the First, Sixth, and Seventh police districts. She was promoted to this position by Chief of Police…
https://mpdc.dc.gov/biography/lashay-makal
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web search NEUTRAL — DC Police confirm two men found unresponsive after a shooting at 14th and Girard Streets NW around 10pm Saturday have both died. They're the 137th and 138th homicide victims of the year in the Distric…
https://dc.liveuamap.com/en/2023/26-july-seventh-district-co…
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Claim 13: “Andre Wright — the former co-executive assistant chief of police, who was demoted to captain”
CORROBORATED
Sources identify Andre Wright as an ex-executive assistant chief and mention his demotion/punishment in the context of internal reports.
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web search NEUTRAL — Police Captain Demoted for Taking Parental Leave. When Hrebenak returned in January 2024, he expected to work again in the school safety division, which had a relatively stable schedule from Monday th…
https://www.parentherald.com/articles/235794/20250121/dc-pol…
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web search NEUTRAL — An internal report shows ex-executive assistant chief Andre Wright repeatedly sent crude texts and mocked colleagues.
https://dc.citycast.fm/news/andre-wright-texts-mpd-investiga…
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web search NEUTRAL — The demotion of Chief Barrows to captain -- the rank she held when she was appointed acting chief in April 1999 to replace Joseph Croughwell Jr., who left on medical leave and never returned -- unders…
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/18/nyregion/police-chief-und…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.