Draft DOJ report accuses DC police of manipulating crime data

Nbcwashington · Dec 12, 2025 · 869 words · By Mark Segraves; NBC Washington Staff

Police accountability Crime Statistics Manipulation Political Influence on Law Enforcement

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/justice-department-to-release-findings-…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Name Calling / Labeling 90% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

14 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5

schedule Pending 4

info Single Source 3

verified Verified By Reference 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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“The Justice Department has notified D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department that it completed its investigation into whether members of the department manipulated crime data to make crime rates appear lower”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results from December 2025 confirm a draft DOJ report exists accusing the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of manipulating crime data to show a decrease in violent crime.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, sometimes called Main Justice, is the headquarters of the United States Department of Justice. It houses Department of Justice offices, including …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_Department_o…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is an executive department of the United States federal government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ju…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is the division of the United States Department of Justice that enforces U.S. antitrust law. It shares authority with the Federal Trade Commi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ju…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“DOJ will release its findings as early as Monday”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the existence of the investigation is confirmed, the provided evidence does not specify the exact release date of the findings as 'Monday'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Derek Michael Chauvin ( SHOH-vən; born 1976) is an American former police officer who murdered George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On May 25, 2020, Floyd was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Chauvin

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Memphis Police Department (MPD) is a law enforcement agency in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1827, the MPD provides police services to the people of the Memphis in a 288 square…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Police_Department

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“A draft version of the report obtained by News4 describes members of the department as repeatedly downgrading and misclassifying crimes amid pressure to show progress”

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Three separate web search results from December 2025 explicitly state that a draft report suggests MPD's data is unreliable due to widespread misclassifications and reclassifying serious offenses to lesser categories to skew stats.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On January 7, 2023, Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black American man, was fatally injured by five Black police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, and died three days later. The officers, all members of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Tyre_Nichols

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Miami Police Department (MPD), also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving the city of Miami, Florida, United States. MPD is the l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Police_Department

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“Investigators spoke with more than 50 witnesses and reviewed thousands of police reports”

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Two independent sources (FOX 5 DC and a statement regarding Pirro) confirm that investigators reviewed thousands of reports and interviewed more than 50 MPD personnel/witnesses.

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“there appears to have been a significant increase in pressure to reduce crime during Pamela Smith’s tenure as Chief of Police that some describe as coercive”

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FOX 5 DC reports that investigators found pressure under Smith's leadership to reduce reported crime, with officials feeling humiliated or personally responsible, which aligns with the 'coercive' description.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Arctic Frost investigation, widely reported as the fake-elector investigation at the time, was a joint federal investigation opened in April 2022 involving the FBI, DOJ Office of Inspector General…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Frost_investigation

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (commonly referred to as the January 6th Committee) was a select committee of the U.S. House…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6th_Committee

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pamela Jo Bondi ( BON-dee; born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 87th United States attorney general from 2025 to 2026. A member of the Republican Party, sh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pam_Bondi

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“investigators reviewed 191 reports for aggravated assaults. It says about 33% were misclassified”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general news homepages or unrelated assault reports; no specific data regarding '191 reports' or '33% misclassification' is present in the provided text.

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web search NEUTRAL — Live news, investigations, opinion, photos and video by the journalists of The New York Times from more than 150 countries around the world. Subscribe for coverage of U.S. and international news, poli…
https://www.nytimes.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Department of Justice Logo Executive Office for Immigration Review.Find Immigration Court Operational Status. Map of the United States.
https://www.justice.gov/eoir

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web search NEUTRAL — Riley County police were investigating a report of an aggravated assault Monday afternoon in Manhattan.(Carson Shea/WIBW). No injuries or arrests were reported.
https://www.wibw.com/2026/05/19/riley-county-police-investig…

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“Sixty-eight percent of reports labeled “pending investigation” were misclassified and included robberies and assaults”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence contains unrelated reports of robberies in Ohio and Greece; there is no evidence in the provided text regarding a '68% misclassification' rate for 'pending investigation' reports in DC.

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web search NEUTRAL — Investigators said the suspects assaulted the victims, and they have non-life-threatening injuries.Investigators do not know whether the two armed robberies are connected, so they are asking for secur…
https://cwcolumbus.com/news/local/police-investigate-armed-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — The case is being investigated by Landsrecherche St Maarten under the direction of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities said no further substantive information will be released at this time due…
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/mp-omar-ottley-second-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The suspects face multiple felony charges linked to a string of armed robberies across south-central Greece; some reportedly cited affiliation to the 'anarchist movement'.
https://www.tovima.com/society/six-jailed-pending-trial-for-…

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“Smith announced this week that she will step down from her position at the end of the month”

SINGLE SOURCE

While one source mentions MPD officials under investigation in May 2026, there is no specific confirmation in the provided evidence that Chief Pamela Smith announced she is stepping down at the end of the month.

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web search NEUTRAL — Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder (MPD), is a dissociative disorder characterized by the presence of at least two personality states or "alters". …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disord…

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web search NEUTRAL — MPDC The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is constantly working to build stronger and more impactful relationships with community members. Community engagement is at the core of everything we do a…
https://mpdc.dc.gov/

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web search NEUTRAL — May 4, 2026 · At least 3 MPD officials under investigation over crime stats may be fired Reports by the Justice Department and House Oversight Committee questioned the accuracy of D.C.'s crime data.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/at-least-2-mpd-offi…

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“U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said in a statement Monday that the conduct described in the report “does not rise to the level of a criminal charge”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm a statement by Jeanine Pirro regarding criminal charges.

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“After a review of almost 6000 reports and the interview of over 50 witnesses, it is evident that a significant number of reports had been misclassified”

CORROBORATED

The claim that a review of nearly 6,000 reports and 50+ witnesses showed significant misclassification is corroborated by the statement from Pirro's office and the FOX 5 DC report.

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“The DOJ review is one of two that were launched in relation to MPD crime stats, along with a separate investigation by the House Oversight Committee”

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“Cmdr. Michael Pulliam was placed on leave with pay”

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“Trump... federalized the police department [on Aug. 11]”

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“the department is reporting that in 2024, crime went down 35% -- violent crime – and another 25% through August of this year”

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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.

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Draft DOJ report accuses DC police of manipulating crime data

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