Washington police put 13 officers on administrative leave in internal crime statistics investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said Tuesday that 13 officers have been placed on administrative leave in connection with an internal investigation into how the department keeps crime statistics, a subject that also has been looked into by Congress and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Carroll said the officers were placed on administrative leave on Monday following an investigation that began earlier this year after a referral from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He declined multiple times to talk about the specifics of the investigation. “What I can tell you is there were allegations of misconduct that were made, and based on those allegations, members were investigated, and the outcome is related to these individuals,” he said.

Carroll said none of the officers had been fired and explained they have administrative rights, including asking for an “adverse action panel” made up of high-ranking officers who hear the evidence and determine whether any discipline is necessary. “The administrative process must be allowed to take its course, and that process is outlined in our MPD general orders,” Carroll said.

The police force’s crime statistics collection has faced widespread scrutiny in the past year, following a decision by President Donald Trump to issue a monthlong emergency order last summer that federalized the police force and launched a federal law enforcement operation in the nation’s capital that his Republican administration said was meant to fight crime.

Trump continuously touted the drop in crime during and after the surge as proof that the operation made the city the safest in the country. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials say crime was already trending downward.

Republicans and the administration responded by questioning whether the data was being manipulated, which limited the success of the surge. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Justice Department conducted separate investigations.

A report released in December by the House Committee found that then-police Chief Pamela Smith often threatened, punished and retaliated against police commanders who presented her with “spikes in crime.” The police chief in the nation’s capital pressured subordinates to manipulate department data to artificially lower the city’s crime rates, according to the report by the Republican-led congressional committee.

A separate investigation by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office also found that a significant number of MPD reports had been misclassified to make crime rates appear lower than they are. Neither investigation found grounds to charge anyone with a crime. Pirro said at the time it was up to the MPD to take steps to address “these underlying issues.”

James Comer, chairman of the House oversight committee, said in a statement that the department’s personnel decision on the manipulation of crime data was “a step in the right direction.” But, Comer said, the action only confirmed the work of his committee and he expected “to receive MPD’s internal report and all related documents to ensure crime data is reported accurately and that anyone responsible for manipulation is held accountable.”

Carroll, who took over as interim chief in December, said Tuesday that assessments and training were underway for officers on how to submit data. He added that the internal investigation would not be released publicly.

The chief said that the department had been successful in reducing crime over the last three years, especially in homicides, shootings and carjacking.

“We use crime statistics every day to help us with deployment across the city. I do have confidence in those numbers,” he said.

Bowser also called for an independent investigation by the city’s inspector general. That probe began in January.