Washington, D.C.’s crime stats are under fire as President Donald Trump calls for a federal investigation into alleged manipulation by the city’s police department, as Just the News reports. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is accused of fudging numbers to paint a rosy picture of declining crime, while a whistleblower’s lawsuit and a suspended commander’s case expose a troubling pattern. This isn’t just bureaucratic bumbling -- it’s a deliberate dodge of reality that endangers lives.
Trump’s announcement of a federal takeover of the MPD cites a crime emergency fueled by manipulated statistics. Allegations from a settled whistleblower lawsuit and an ongoing investigation into a suspended police commander suggest the city’s claim of a 30% drop in violent crime since 2023 is a mirage. City leaders, desperate to prop up their progressive narrative, are now scrambling to explain the discrepancies.
Sergeant Charlotte Djossou, a 20-year MPD veteran, filed a lawsuit in 2020, alleging she faced retaliation for exposing improper practices. From 2014 to 2020, she reported issues like racial targeting, improper searches, and -- most critically -- reclassifying crimes to boost performance metrics. Her courage in calling out this chicanery didn’t exactly earn her a parade; instead, she got a poor performance review.
Djossou’s lawsuit, part of public court records, revealed senior officers downgraded felony thefts to misdemeanors, ignoring D.C.’s $25 felony threshold. In mid-2019, she caught officers misclassifying over 100 felony thefts to make districts look safer. After reporting this to a commander, the misclassifications were reversed, but the damage to public trust was done.
“The result is that felony thefts were now being recorded as misdemeanors, solely because the theft could not be solved,” Djossou’s lawsuit stated. This wasn’t about solving crimes -- it was about gaming the system for promotions, as MPD captains and commanders are judged on crime reduction metrics. The progressive obsession with appearances over reality couldn’t be clearer.
In 2019, Djossou flagged a domestic violence incident involving a knife attack, wrongly downgraded to a misdemeanor by a lieutenant. She reported it to Captain Sean Conboy, who brushed it off, asking, “Ok. So she was not harmed in any way by the knife?” D.C. code is crystal clear: felony assault with a dangerous weapon doesn’t require injury, just reckless use.
In May 2025, MPD Commander Michael Pulliam was placed on administrative leave amid allegations of manipulating crime data. His suspension came shortly after he filed an equal employment opportunity complaint against a senior police leader, raising questions about retaliation. Pulliam denies the accusations, but the timing smells fishier than a Potomac dock.
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), representing MPD officers, backed up Djossou’s claims, alleging widespread manipulation directed by department brass. “This is a directive from the command staff,” FOP Chairman Gregg Pemberton told NBC 4 Washington, pointing to a deliberate effort to keep crime stats low. The woke elite’s narrative of a safer D.C. is crumbling under scrutiny.
“MPD improperly reduced crime statistics by downgrading a number of felonies to misdemeanors,” Djossou said in her 2020 complaint. This isn’t just sloppy paperwork—it skews resource allocation, as John Lott, former Crime Prevention Research Center president, noted on the John Solomon Reports podcast. Misclassification starves police of needed funds while misleading the public.
Trump didn’t mince words, posting on Truth Social this week: “D.C. gave Fake Crime numbers to create a false illusion of safety.” His critics, clutching their 30% crime drop talking point, look increasingly out of touch. The federal takeover signals a no-nonsense push to restore truth in reporting.
The MPD’s settlement of Djossou’s lawsuit, done quietly to avoid headlines, only fuels suspicion of a cover-up. The department’s silence when pressed by Just the News about the settlement speaks volumes. Transparency isn’t exactly their strong suit.
The Justice Department, tight-lipped on whether it’s probing the MPD, isn’t inspiring confidence either. With crime stats allegedly massaged to flatter city leadership, D.C.’s residents deserve answers, not excuses. The progressive playbook of hiding inconvenient truths is wearing thin.
Djossou’s 2020 complaint bluntly stated, “MPD has a long history of trying to distort crime statistics in Washington, D.C.” Her words ring truer now as Pulliam’s investigation and the FOP’s claims paint a picture of systemic deceit. The public’s safety shouldn’t be sacrificed for bureaucratic brownie points.
City officials, quick to tout their crime-fighting “success,” now face a reckoning. The 30% drop in violent crime they bragged about appears more like creative accounting than genuine progress. D.C.’s citizens aren’t fooled -- they know the streets don’t match the spreadsheets.
Trump’s push for a federal investigation could be the wake-up call D.C. needs. The MPD’s alleged manipulation, from downgrading felonies to retaliating against whistleblowers, demands accountability. If the city’s leaders won’t face reality, the feds might just force them to.
