Washington, D.C. has found itself at the center of a political and policing firestorm as outgoing Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith faces a barrage of allegations about the manipulation of crime statistics under her leadership. The controversy, which erupted with the release of a congressional report on December 14, 2025, has not only shaken the city’s law enforcement community but also deepened the rift between local and federal authorities over the control and transparency of public safety data in the nation’s capital.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led by Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, accused Chief Smith of pressuring subordinates to misclassify crimes and artificially lower reported crime rates. According to The Washington Post, the committee’s interim report alleges Smith fostered “an ecosystem of fear, retaliation, and toxicity,” incentivizing her commanders to downplay serious offenses in order to present the illusion of a safer city. The committee’s investigation, which began in August 2025 following President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to D.C. amid concerns about rising crime, included interviews with all seven current D.C. police district commanders and one on leave.
The report claims that Smith, who was appointed chief by Mayor Muriel Bowser in July 2023, routinely threatened, punished, and retaliated against police commanders who reported spikes in crime. Commanders testified that they were pushed to use “intermediate” charges—offenses that go unreported to the public—instead of more serious, publicly reported charges, thereby reducing the apparent crime rate. In one instance, a commander recounted being instructed by an executive assistant chief, under Smith’s direction, to downgrade an assault with a dangerous weapon to a less serious, unreported offense. Another commander described the pressure to reclassify burglaries as mere unlawful entries.
“Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” Rep. Comer stated in a release, adding that Smith’s actions “undermine trust in both local leadership and law enforcement.” He called for Smith’s immediate resignation, arguing that her planned exit at the end of December should not be viewed as voluntary but as an overdue consequence of her management.
These allegations are echoed in a separate investigation by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office. Pirro, who began her probe in August at the height of the city’s standoff with the Trump administration over control of the police department, revealed her office had reviewed nearly 6,000 police reports and interviewed more than 50 witnesses. She concluded that “a significant number of reports had been misclassified, making crime appear artificially lower than it was.” However, Pirro clarified that no criminal charges would be filed, stating, “It is up to MPD to take steps to internally address these underlying issues.”
Smith, for her part, has vigorously denied any wrongdoing. In an interview with Fox 5 earlier this month, she insisted, “I have never and will never authorize or even support any thought processes or activities with regards to crime numbers being manipulated.” During a news conference at the Department of Justice on December 4, she reiterated her commitment to transparency and ethical leadership, even as she announced her intention to step down at year’s end after nearly three decades in law enforcement.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has come to Smith’s defense, issuing a sharply worded letter to the Oversight Committee on December 15. Bowser lambasted the report as “prejudiced,” accusing the committee of rushing to judgment to serve a politically motivated timeline. She pointed out that of the 22 block quotes criticizing Smith’s management, 20 originated from just two command officials, and that the committee had failed to interview Smith or her assistant chiefs. “It is my expectation that the crime statistics we publish and rely on are accurate and of the highest quality possible,” Bowser wrote, emphasizing her willingness to hold any official accountable for intentionally altering data.
Bowser also underscored the city’s recent progress in public safety. According to MPD data, homicides have dropped 31% in 2025 compared to the previous year, falling from 181 to 125 with two weeks left in the year. Independent data corroborates a 33% decrease in firearm injuries during the first ten months of 2025 versus the same period in 2024. “The irony of the interim report’s questioning of the Department’s crime statistics, which have been widely lauded in the last several months, is not lost on me,” Bowser wrote, noting that crime had spiked in 2023 but has since declined significantly under Smith’s tenure.
The political context of the controversy is impossible to ignore. The Trump administration’s declaration of a local emergency and deployment of federal resources to D.C. in August 2025 brought national scrutiny to the city’s crime data. Republicans, including President Trump and Rep. Comer, have argued that the federal intervention was justified by what they see as underreported crime rates. U.S. Attorney Pirro even claimed that the uncovering of manipulated statistics “makes clear that President Trump has reduced crime even more than originally thought, since crimes were actually higher than reported.”
Democrats on the committee, meanwhile, have accused Republicans of using the investigation to justify what they describe as an “authoritarian power grab.” Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Oversight Committee Democrats, told The Washington Post that “Oversight Republicans tried to use this investigation to justify President Trump’s authoritarian power grab, but their plan backfired almost immediately.” She noted that every commander confirmed violent crime was declining before the National Guard was deployed, and that the committee’s methodology lacked transparency and balance.
Criminologists consulted by The Washington Post and other outlets have pointed out that crime classification is often subjective and can change as investigations develop. Brandon Del Pozo, a former police official and professor at Brown University, remarked, “Policing is political. There are a lot of motivations to say you’ve been mistreated by a boss or something’s been misclassified. In order to cut through all of that, a good, transparent methodology is critical.” He emphasized the importance of thorough audits and clear standards to ensure the integrity of crime data.
As Smith prepares to leave her post, the MPD faces calls for reforms aimed at restoring public trust and data integrity. The Justice Department’s draft report recommends better training, regular audits of reclassifications, and removing classification authority from commanders. The House committee has urged Mayor Bowser to appoint a chief who will address concerns about statistics manipulation and alleviate retaliatory pressures within the department.
The episode has left the city grappling with questions about accountability, transparency, and the true state of public safety. While the numbers show a dramatic decline in violent crime, the debate over how those numbers are produced—and what they really mean—remains far from settled.
