An internal investigation of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department found that at least 15 high-ranking officials may have helped manipulate statistics to make crime in the city appear lower than it really was. Police supervisors reportedly pressured officers to downgrade certain crimes into less serious offenses—like reclassifying thefts as taking property without a right, a misdemeanor. This affected public crime data by showing declines in certain crime rates. Federal investigators, Congress, and D.C.’s inspector general are also reviewing the situation.
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