WASHINGTON — A D.C. police commander is under investigation for allegedly altering crime statistics in his district, NBC 4 Washington reported.
Commander Michael Pulliam, who led the 3rd District covering neighborhoods including Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, was placed on paid administrative leave in mid-May. The leave came approximately one week after he filed an equal employment opportunity complaint against Executive Assistant Chief Andre Wright, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
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Five sources familiar with the matter told News4 that Pulliam is being investigated for questionable changes to reported crime data. Pulliam has denied the allegations.
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which represents D.C. officers, has raised concerns about what it says is a broader practice of manipulating crime classifications to show declines in violent crime. FOP Chairman Gregg Pemberton said officers are frequently instructed by supervisors to downgrade serious felony reports to lesser offenses.
The union claims the practice is being directed by the MPD command staff in an effort to keep reported crime figures low.
According to MPD data reviewed Monday, violent crime in D.C. was reported as down 28% compared to the same time last year. By Thursday, the figure was listed at 25%, with overall crime down 8%.
Pemberton called the numbers misleading.
“There’s absolutely no way crime could be down 28%. Last year they suggested that it went down 34%,” he said.
The investigation into Pulliam follows a separate incident involving his wife, Capt. Rachel Pulliam, who was reassigned from the Youth Division to a midnight shift in the 7th District in April.
MPD Chief Pamela Smith declined to comment on the investigation but released a statement addressing the broader concerns raised by the union.
“Any irregularity in crime data brought to my attention will be addressed immediately,” Smith said. “I do not condone any official reclassifying criminal offenses outside the guidelines set in MPD policy.”
