PULSE POINTS
WHAT HAPPENED: A D.C. police commander is under investigation for allegedly altering crime statistics.
WHO WAS INVOLVED: Michael Pulliam, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Fraternal Order of Police.
WHEN & WHERE: The investigation began mid-May in Washington, D.C.
KEY QUOTE: “That’s preposterous. There’s absolutely no way crime could be down 28 percent.” — Gregg Pemberton, Chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police
IMPACT: The investigation and allegations could affect public trust in crime data reporting.
IN FULL
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has confirmed that Michael Pulliam, a Washington, D.C. police commander, is under investigation for allegedly doctoring crime statistics. The investigation began after the Fraternal Order of Police complained that the department was deliberately falsifying crime data.
The police union reports that supervisors are manipulating data to show a significant decrease in violent crime compared to the previous year. Pulliam, who was the commander of the 3rd District, was placed on paid leave and informed of the investigation into his actions in mid-May, according to law enforcement sources.
Gregg Pemberton, Chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police, stated that there is a trend of altering crime classifications to lower the apparent crime rates. “When our members respond to the scene of a felony offense… there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up on that scene and direct those members to take a report for a lesser offense,” Pemberton explained. “So, instead of taking a report for a shooting or a stabbing or a carjacking, they will order that officer to take a report for a theft or an injured person to the hospital or a felony assault, which is not the same type of classification.”
Pemberton described recently released statistics suggesting violent crime is down 28 percent in the American capital as “preposterous,” stressing: “There’s absolutely no way crime could be down 28 percent. Last year, they suggested that it went down 34 percent.”
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department stated that any irregularities in crime data will be addressed immediately. She claimed that reclassifying criminal offenses outside of MPD policy guidelines is not condoned.
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