Oversight Report Finds DC Police Downgraded Crime Classifications, Manipulated States

The outgoing D.C. police chief was cooking the books…

A new House Oversight Committee report accuses outgoing Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith of pressuring commanders to downgrade crimes — and punishing those who dared report spikes — all to make the city look safer on paper.

The Republican-led committee says Smith, who announced her resignation on December 8 and is expected to stay through year’s end, oversaw an unprecedented system of interference in crime reporting that warped the city’s Daily Crime Report.

“By pressuring her command staff to alter classifications for the sole purpose of artificially reducing crime numbers reported out to the public, Chief Smith incentivized the manipulation of crime numbers, which do not adequately account for the crime taking place in D.C.,” the report states.

The findings are based on eight transcribed interviews with MPD district commanders and paint a picture of a toxic command culture in which optics trumped accuracy and careers were put on the line for delivering bad news.

According to the report, commanders who presented unfavorable crime data faced public humiliation, retaliation, or demotion.

“Briefings with Chief Smith involved public chastisement to the point commanders expressed feeling like they were being treated as if they had committed the crimes themselves,” investigators wrote.

One commander, identified as “Commander E,” described being singled out during a crime briefing after a robbery spike.

“On two occasions I had … robbery sprees, and I think I had, like, 13 robberies in over a night period, a day period,” the commander said. “The chief said, ‘I need to see [Commander E] up front to brief first.’ So I got up there and I was basically admonished. I was like, ‘How could I let these robberies happen?’”

The commander said the experience was humiliating — and personal.

“I did feel like I did the robberies after I left. I literally was, like, I swear I did not commit them.”

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer shared the following post on X.

“Testimony from experienced and courageous D.C. MPD commanders has exposed the truth: Chief Pamela Smith coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda. This undermines trust in both D.C. leadership & law enforcement.”

🚨Testimony from experienced and courageous D.C. MPD commanders has exposed the truth: Chief Pamela Smith coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda.

This undermines trust in both D.C. leadership & law enforcement pic.twitter.com/6EyjDhn5Ow

— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) December 14, 2025

More over at The Washington Post:

The DC police chief must resign IMMEDIATELY, not in two weeks.

Our investigation found that Pamela Smith fostered an ecosystem of fear, retaliation, and toxicity within the Metropolitan Police Department.

Read more below 👇🏻 https://t.co/M74eI2bA2I

— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) December 14, 2025