A decorated D.C. police sergeant blew the whistle on her superiors for fudging crime stats, and the city just settled her lawsuit to keep it quiet. Charlotte Djossou, a former Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, exposed a scheme to downplay thefts and violent assaults, revealing a troubling pattern of deception, as the Washington Free Beacon reports. Her courage challenges the progressive narrative that D.C.’s streets are safe.
The District of Columbia settled Djossou’s 2020 lawsuit, which accused MPD leaders of misclassifying crimes to make the city appear safer. Internal documents and depositions confirmed directives to downgrade felonies like knife attacks to misdemeanors. This settlement exposes a crack in the left’s “crime is under control” mantra.
Djossou, an Iraq War veteran, joined MPD with honor but found corruption within. She sued after uncovering orders to reclassify thefts as minor offenses to dodge public crime reports. Her evidence shows police brass prioritizing optics over truth.
In 2018, MPD Commander Randy Griffin tasked Captain Franklin Porter with addressing rising thefts in D.C.’s Fourth District. Porter, alongside former Lieutenant Andrew Zabavsky, crafted a plan to label shoplifting as “Taking Property Without Right” (TPWOR), which isn’t tracked in public crime stats. Zabavsky’s now in prison for unrelated crimes, casting further doubt on his integrity.
By March 2019, Captain Sean Conboy emailed officers, urging them to use TPWOR for minor thefts. This directive led to a 500% spike in TPWOR classifications, hiding true crime rates. The progressive media’s silence on this smells like complicity.
Djossou reported these manipulations to MPD’s internal affairs, sparking a 2019 investigation. The probe’s report included officer testimonies confirming a policy of downgrading charges. Sergeant Michelle Starr noted emailed orders to misclassify thefts, exposing systemic deceit.
The cover-up wasn’t limited to thefts; violent crimes faced similar downgrading. Starr told investigators that Fourth District managers routinely changed felonies like assaults to misdemeanors. This practice shielded D.C.’s image while victims suffered.
In one case, a woman slashed from forehead to chin was reported as “Assault with a Dangerous Weapon” but reclassified as a “sick person” case. Djossou called out this absurdity, yet the captain dismissed it. The woke obsession with appearances trumped justice.
Another incident on Oct. 24, 2019, saw an assailant strangle a victim, rip her shirt, and throw a knife near her head. Djossou said the victim dodged the blade, but Conboy called it a “misdemeanor” because the knife missed. His cavalier attitude mocks victims and public safety.
Conboy’s 2021 promotion to lead MPD’s Research and Analytical Services Branch raises eyebrows. He oversaw crime trend reports while allegedly enabling stat manipulation. Now commanding the Joint Strategic and Tactical Analysis Command Center, his role in public alerts feels ironic.
Mainstream outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post cited MPD data to claim D.C. crime is low, ignoring Djossou’s whistleblowing. Their narrative aligns with Mayor Muriel Bowser’s “no comment” stance, dodging accountability. This selective reporting fuels distrust in institutions.
The lawsuit’s settlement, unreported until now, coincided with a judge dismissing Djossou’s case on Aug. 5 after both sides reached an agreement. This timing, alongside President Trump’s threat of a federal law enforcement takeover, suggests a rush to bury the scandal. The left’s “nothing to see here” act is wearing thin.
D.C.’s not alone in cooking the books; other cities have faced similar accusations. Los Angeles admitted to misclassifying 14,000 assaults from 2005 to 2012, slashing its crime rate by 7%. New York and New Orleans also underreport crimes, misleading the public.
In Columbus, Ohio, residents were told violent crime dropped in 2013 and 2014, only to learn in 2024 that it had risen. These manipulations create a false sense of security, undermining trust in law enforcement. The progressive push for rosy stats sacrifices truth for optics.
Djossou’s stand against MPD’s deceit highlights a broader fight against woke policies that prioritize image over reality. Her lawsuit’s settlement, backed by unreported depositions and emails, exposes a system more concerned with narrative than justice. D.C.’s leaders owe the public an explanation, not silence.
