Right now, Washington, D.C. is living through a federal takeover of our streets predicated upon a fake emergency. Federal law enforcement has moved in, some residents have raised their voices in frustration and fear. Others, who may feel these measures are extreme, are fed up with our leaders’ failure to acknowledge the prevalence of “violent crime.” 

We should not be here. If we are to take back control of our city and promote true public safety, our leaders must take action to uncover the truth and chart solutions based on real data, not the rosy picture they’ve been painting.

Our elected leaders have pushed back citing violent crime stats that the MPD itself has acknowledged are manipulated, underreported, and hidden from public view. But this is not just about statistics. It is about our safety, our trust, and our right to govern ourselves. The citywide data related to charges of “assault with a dangerous weapon” and “felony assaults” should be made publicly available.

Every resident of Washington, D.C. feels the impact when public safety data is distorted. Families walking their children to school, seniors traveling to the store, and commuters heading home at night all deserve to know the real state of violent crime in our city. Instead, MPD officers have been pressured to undercharge violent crimes, making the numbers look better than they are. Cases that should be classified as “violent crimes” are being downgraded to categories—like “felony assault”—that are excluded from official crime statistics. This incomplete picture shapes policies and budgets that leave our neighborhoods understaffed and under-protected, deepening mistrust between residents and leadership.

The stakes could not be higher. The federal presence in our city is already a reality, and unless the D.C. Council demands transparency and accountability from MPD, we risk ceding even more control over our own governance. At the start of 2025, MPD staffing hit a 50-year low and this summer we’ve lost 70 more officers since that time. Overall, MPD is short nearly 800 patrol officers in total. Without accurate data, our leaders will continue making policy and budget decisions that fail to meet the urgent needs on the ground, leaving residents feeling—and too often, actually being—unsafe. Preserving our right to home rule depends on facing the truth about violent crime and addressing it head-on.

Federal agents are already patrolling our streets. The protests and community outrage make clear that the people of D.C. are demanding answers and solutions. Yet, the MPD’s public crime dashboard still shows steep declines in certain categories, with no accounting for the real scope of “felony assaults” or other underreported violent crimes. Without immediate investigation, flawed numbers will keep dictating our future. Honest, accurate data is the only foundation for smart public safety investments, rebuilding trust, and creating a safer city for everyone. The D.C. City Council must act now—before more decisions are made based on a false picture of reality.

We, the undersigned, call on the D.C. City Council to immediately launch a public investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department’s collection and reporting of violent crime data. While MPD makes the data for “assault with a dangerous weapon” publicly available, but does not make the data for “felony assaults” equally available. Thus, it’s impossible to tell whether, and to what extent, the drop in  “assault with a dangerous weapon” is equal to, greater than, or lesser than charges of “felony assaults.” This data is readily available to our city leaders and should be available to the public. 

Our safety, our trust in government, and our right to self-govern all depend on swift, transparent action.