Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that Washington DC's police department systematically altered crime data to make the city appear safer, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

The probe, led by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, comes as tensions deepen between the Trump administration and city leaders over control of local policing. The Justice Department has not issued an official statement, but Trump fueled speculation in a social media post Monday, claiming DC officials produced "fake crime numbers" to create a "false illusion of safety" and were "under serious investigation."

The case originated with the suspension of Commander Michael Pulliam in May after accusations that he reclassified violent crimes such as stabbings and carjackings as lesser offenses while overseeing the 3rd District, which patrols Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. Pulliam denies the allegations, but law enforcement sources say prosecutors are now exploring whether other officers and city officials were also involved.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has leaned on police data showing violent crime fell 27% over the past year to push back against Trump's push for federal oversight. The police department has separately reported a 35% decline in 2024. Union leaders, however, dispute those numbers.

Federal overreach?

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Gregg Pemberton, head of the DC police union and a vocal supporter of federal control, blasted both sets of statistics as "preposterous." "We go call to call to call – robbery to carjacking to stabbing to shooting. Crime is ubiquitous in every quadrant of the city," he told NBC News Washington.

Pemberton further alleged that officers had standing orders from command staff to underreport violence. "What we've heard through our members and through members of management that were willing to talk with the union is that this is a directive from the command staff … that they wanna make sure that these classifications of these reports are adjusted over time to make sure that the overall crime stats stay down," he said, adding, "And this is deliberately done."

The investigation comes against the backdrop of Trump's unprecedented move to federalize Washington's police powers under the D.C. Home Rule Act. Earlier this month, he declared a "crime emergency" and deployed 800 National Guard units and federal agents into the capital. Three Republican governors also dispatched National Guard troops to support his initiative, further expanding the federal presence. The takeover has sparked legal challenges from city officials who argue that crime has actually fallen to its lowest levels in decades and that the move represents a dangerous overreach of federal power.

Observers warn the DC case may be a test run for broader interventions. Trump has already suggested using the capital as a model for federal takeovers of police in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, raising alarms among state and local leaders who see such actions as a direct threat to home rule and democratic accountability.

The controversy over crime statistics in the capital echoes broader disputes about the politicization of official data under Trump. Earlier this month, Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a jobs report showed sharp downward revisions, accusing her, without evidence, of manipulating economic figures.

Economists have warned that such actions undermine confidence in federal institutions tasked with producing neutral statistics, and critics see the DC probe as part of a pattern of using data controversies to justify expanding executive control.

Read more: Trump's firing of top labor statistician sparks bipartisan outrage