Councilwoman sends MPD letter seeking clarity on crime data, federal cooperation

D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto sent the Metropolitan Police Department a letter Tuesday pressing for answers regarding its alleged misclassification of crimes and its cooperation with federal agencies.

As the chair of the Council’s Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Pinto says she conducts oversight of the MPD every day. Every member of the D.C. Council cosigned the six-page letter after a public safety hearing earlier this month. At the 12-hour meeting, more than 100 residents spoke to their experience with federal agencies during their occupation in D.C. The letter is also a result of the Department of Justice and the House Oversight Committee releasing reports accusing MPD of manipulating crime data.

The points the Council seeks clarity about include: joint patrols between MPD and federal agencies, what power and accountability is given to federal agents in D.C., how MPD crime data is classified and reported, what MPD’s general requirements and instructions are, and other specific incidents.

An executive order issued in August gave MPD the authorization to alert federal immigration enforcement agencies of people not in MPD custody and to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the transportation of detained suspects. The Council is pressing MPD on whether this ruling is still in effect, and if so, why. 

“District law is clear that MPD cannot coordinate with immigration enforcement officials,” Pinto said.

She explained to News4 that despite that law, she has seen video of and heard reports of MPD officers with different federal agencies handling immigration functions. 

“As unusual as it is to have this administration step in and declare an emergency and send troops in … we are still a city and a country of laws, and those laws need to be followed by everyone,” Pinto said.

“Everyone,” Pinto said, includes D.C.’s government and local law enforcement.

Regarding specific incidents, Pinto references two Homeland Security Investigations agent shootings in the past four months. Both took place on Benning Road NE and resulted in no injuries. In the first, on Oct. 17, when an HSI agent shot at a man who tried to flee a traffic stop, the bullet ended up passing through the man’s jacket. The officer was told by his superior at the time not to include any details of the shooting in the arrest report, News4 reported.

“The more these incidents happen, not only are they extremely dangerous, but without resolution, it undermines trust in our public safety ecosystem,” Pinto told News4, “and that cannot happen. We have had years and years of effort to rebuild trust with our police department and our community.”

The Council requested an update to both shooting investigations.

The recent allegations of false crime records within the police department, accuse MPD of downgrading hundreds of crimes systematically to show a decrease. Pinto’s letter urges MPD to advise further on their classifications.

“While I question the political motivations and timing of these reports, and believe that our police department is the best in the country, and there are lots of layers of review, it is still important on behalf of the public to ensure that everybody is on the same page about how classifications of crimes do happen,” Pinto said.

Specifically, the letter in part seeks more information on the data reported in citywide year-to-date crime comparisons published by MPD, and how that data is classified. A main argument by Pinto is that accuracy in crime data is necessary to maintain public trust and assess current public safety intervention.

“It’s not just around accountability for what has gone on, which is very important, but it’s also to inform our strategy moving forward,” she said. “We’re heading into a new year.”

Pinto and the Council set a deadline for MPD’s response as Jan. 9. Pinto said a performance oversight hearing will be held several weeks later. The full letter can be read on Pinto’s website.