Several high-ranking figures at the Metropolitan Police Department are being terminated in a sweeping restructuring effort, amid an investigation into concerns that leaders manipulated crime data to burnish the department’s image.
The police department in Washington is under investigation by the House oversight committee over allegations that it manipulated statistics to make crime appear lower than it actually was. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said in December 2025 that MPD twisted its data, though she said the conduct “does not rise to the level of a criminal charge.”
As of Tuesday, the MPD has moved to terminate “multiple high-ranking command staff officials,” according to the D.C. Police Union. The union, which represents over 3,000 D.C. officers, hailed the decision as a “long overdue step toward justice and the restoration of integrity within MPD.”
Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy and Assistant Chief LaShay Makal are among high-ranking figures being replaced amid an internal investigation, according to WJLA News. The pair has been placed on administrative leave “pending the outcome of an internal investigation.” The D.C. Police union said the internal investigations are tied directly to “the deliberate manipulation of crime data.”
Savoy has been accused of reclassifying 390 thefts as taking property without a right, which is considered a misdemeanor and could give the appearance that the crime is decreasing, according to Washington City Paper.
The development comes as part of an MPD restructuring effort. The Office of Patrol Operations has been abolished, and multiple commanders have been reassigned department-wide command, which centralizes activity and entails changes to how law enforcement reports internally to interim MPD Chief Jeffery Carroll, according to the outlet.
“We cannot discuss personnel matters or internal investigations,” an MPD spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
DC MAYORAL DEBATE SEES CANDIDATES CLASH ON PUBLIC SAFETY, HOUSING, AND MORE
Carroll assumed leadership in January, after his predecessor, Pamela Smith, stepped down amid swirling allegations that she oversaw and implemented a culture of corruption.
“Internal National Incident-Based Reporting System data reported to the FBI showed a 1.72% increase in violent crime for 2024, directly contradicting the D.C. government’s fabricated 28.32% decrease,” the D.C. Police Union wrote in a press release Tuesday.
