On August 11, 2025, claiming that Washington, D.C. is one of the most “crime-infested” cities in the U.S., President Trumpinvoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act. 

In doing so, Trump pulled the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control and authorized more than 2,200 National Guard troops to bolster security in the nation’s capital.

The move was controversial… But Trump argued it was necessary.

On paper, D.C. crime statistics show improvement this year. In fact, according to official MPD data, nearly every major category is down from 2024 (during the same time period): 

• Homicides: 101 so far in 2025, down from 119 in 2024 (-15%)

• Assaults with a Dangerous Weapon: 572 incidents in 2025 versus 708 in 2024 (-19%)

• Total Violent Crimes: 1,658 in 2025 compared to 2,278 in 2024 (-27%)

• Robberies: 926 reported in 2025, down from 1,337 in 2024 (-31%)

• Burglaries: 471 in 2025 versus 603 in 2024 (-22%)

• Thefts: 7,548 in 2025 compared to 7,977 in 2024 (-5%)

• Total Property Crimes: 15,006 in 2025, down from 15,843 in 2024 (-5%).

The sum of all crimes in D.C.: 16,664 reported so far in 2025 compared to 18,121, for the same months, in 2024 — overall, an 8% decrease. 

If you take these numbers at face value, the story is that crime is falling, thanks to better policing and governance.

But several MPD whistleblowers have shattered that narrative, alleging the department’s crime statistics are being laundered to look cleaner than they really are. 

Your Rundown for Wednesday, August 27, 2025...

Smoke and Mirrors: D.C.’s Downgraded Felonies

According to multiple MPD insiders, supervisors pressured officers to downgrade serious crimes to make the city appear safer. 

These whistleblowers claim such practices have persisted for months, if not years, reflecting a long history of manipulating crime data.

One prominent example is former Sergeant Charlotte Djossou, who sued the MPD in 2020. 

She alleged that police leadership routinely misclassified crimes, intentionally downgrading felonies to misdemeanors, for instance. 

Djossou detailed how armed robberies were often reclassified as simple thefts, and domestic assaults that should have been logged as violent felonies were instead labeled “disorderly conduct.” 

After speaking out, she said she faced retaliation and false disciplinary charges from MPD brass. Her lawsuit was scheduled for trial in 2025 but was quietly settled out of court earlier this year, with no public comment on the terms.

Then in May 2025, MPD Commander Michael Pulliam, who oversaw the Third District, was placed on paid administrative leave amid allegations that serious violent crimes under his command had also been downgraded. (Pulliam denies any wrongdoing.)

Mayor Muriel Bowser called the issue isolated, but the House Oversight Committee has requested documents and scheduled interviews with Pulliam and other senior commanders. 

At the same time, the Department of Justice has launched a federal probe into whether MPD leadership engaged in systemic falsification of crime data. Both investigations remain active.

Meanwhile, Greggory Pemberton, chairman of the D.C. Police Union, publicly praised President Trump’s federal takeover as a “drastic but necessary step.” 

He cites a collapse of confidence in city leadership and widespread concerns that manipulated statistics undermine officer safety and public trust. 

For once, the police union and the Trump administration stand on the same side. But Washingtonians themselves seem conflicted. 

A May 2024 Washington Post–Schar School poll of 1,683 D.C.-area residents (655 in the city) found that 65% considered crime “extremely” or “very serious,” while only 23% felt “very safe.” 

By August 2025, another Post–Schar poll of 604 city residents shows a sharp reversal: 

• Only 31% now say crime is “very serious”... 
• 78% report feeling safe in their neighborhoods… 
• and nearly 80% oppose Trump’s federal takeover.

The contrast is striking. Crime is statistically down. But clouded by allegations of manipulation. Public concern about crime has plummeted. Even as Trump labels the city “crime-infested.” 

The political subtext is hard to miss: Washingtonians appear to be so hostile to the Trump administration that they downplay what is almost certainly a clear and present danger in their own city. 

In the end, whether the problem is with crime itself or the credibility of the data, trust in both the numbers — and in the city’s leadership — is deeply fractured.

Market Rundown for Wednesday, August 27, 2025

S&P 500 futures are slightly in the green at 6,485.

Oil is up 0.20% to $63.38 for a barrel of WTI.

Gold’s down 0.10% to $3,429.30. 

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is up to $111,100.