District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday suggested officials will reassess all crime data after the city’s police department was embroiled in accusations that it twisted statistics to burnish its image.
Bowser spoke to reporters after revelations that over a dozen Metropolitan Police Department officers were placed on leave earlier this week amid an internal investigation into the scandal. Several top-ranking police officials were terminated, sparking praise from the district’s police union as a “long overdue step toward justice and the restoration of integrity within MPD.” Bowser weighed in as well, saying there would be “repercussions” if investigations determined data was deliberately distorted.
“I think there will be some changes that we make to make sure that any crime data has a second look,” Bowser said during a press conference. “We will look for systematic problems that, in my estimation, should have caught any individual problems.”
Bowser dodged questions on whether she felt she had been lied to about the crime data. She stood firm in her belief that there is “no question” that crime in the district has dropped, saying homicides, carjackings, robberies, and shootings have declined. The mayor said she is waiting for more details from a report she requested from Inspector General Daniel Lucas. Lucas informed her last week that his investigation “was concluding” and that a draft copy of the report would be sent to D.C. police before being made public, according to the mayor.
“We have been trying to get all of the information for months, and I think we have one piece of the puzzle, the IAD,” Bowser said, referring to MPD’s internal investigation. “The next piece of the puzzle will be the inspector general’s report.”
“MPD will talk about the categories of crime that experience changes,” Bowser said. “What is going to be really key, and I suspect it’s in all of these recommendations for termination, is if this is deliberate, if it is meant to make the official look good and not show what’s actually happening. There are repercussions for that.”
Congress is probing concerns that district officials manipulated crime data to paint public safety in a better light, alongside the inspector general and internal police investigations.
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The alleged manipulation occurred under Pamela Smith’s tenure at MPD. The former police chief resigned from her position in December amid swirling allegations that she oversaw and implemented a culture of corruption.
Interim police chief Jeffery Carroll announced Tuesday that 13 officers had been placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues. Second District commander Tatjana Savoy and assistant chief LaShay Makal are among the high-ranking figures being replaced.
