The House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into whether Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department manipulated crime data to make the city appear safer than it is, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post.
The probe follows a Justice Department inquiry into similar allegations and comes as local leaders continue to rely on crime statistics to demonstrate progress on public safety. Critics, including the chairman of the D.C. police union, have questioned whether violent crime has been undercounted.
According to a letter obtained by The Post, the Republican-led Oversight Committee is “investigating disturbing allegations that DC crime data is inaccurate and intentionally manipulated, potentially at the direction of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) leadership.” Committee members are requesting documents, communications, and interviews with commanders from all seven police districts…