The America First Legal Foundation (AFL), established by former White House aide Stephen Miller, has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to probe the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department's crime statistics.
According to Fox News, the probe follows President Trump's recent executive order to temporarily federalize the district in response to alleged inaccuracies in crime data.
AFL's FOIA request, filed on a Thursday, zeroes in on the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department's crime records. The goal is to uncover any manipulation or falsification in crime reporting. This move comes as the Trump administration expresses concern over possible errors in how crime statistics are reported in the nation's capital.
President Trump issued an executive order four days prior to the FOIA filing, which temporarily federalized the capital. This decision involved the deployment of D.C. National Guard troops and the temporary federalization of the local police force. The administration has been vocal about its skepticism regarding the accuracy of D.C.'s reported crime data.
The investigation initiated by AFL is drawing particular attention to any communications that pertain to Michael Pulliam. Pulliam, a former police commander, is currently on administrative leave amid allegations of tampering with crime figures.
The AFL points to a settlement involving a former police sergeant and the city as possible evidence of data misclassification regarding crime in D.C. The Trump administration's officials argue that such incidents may suggest a deeper issue with the integrity of the district's crime statistics.
Miller, who has described Washington, D.C., as being more violent than international conflict zones, founded the AFL to monitor such issues. The foundation's Will Scolinos has made pointed remarks about the perceived rise in local violence.
"As each day passes, new horrific examples of violent crime are reported across the district. AFL is investigating whether, as described by recent reports, official D.C. crime statistics may have been deliberately falsified to make the city seem safer than it is."
Scolinos underscores the AFL’s mission to ascertain whether crime statistics have been purposefully altered. While he notes President Trump's efforts to enhance safety in the capital, he also critiques what he sees as an opposing stance from some political factions willing to accept the status quo.
Meanwhile, D.C. officials contest these claims. They have acknowledged reporting a 26% decrease in violent crime from 2023 to 2024 but admit potential overstatements. The district notes a significant reduction of 552 fewer violent crime victims in early 2025 compared to the same period the year before.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been outspoken in opposing the characterizations posited by the Trump administration and AFL. She argues these comparisons to conflict-ridden countries are exaggerated and misleading.
"Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false."
Despite the disputes, local officials maintain that crime levels have decreased across all seven districts. This includes not just violent crime - which has been the primary focus of the AFL's investigation - but a comprehensive decline in various criminal activities.
As AFL's investigation continues, the city remains under the temporary federal measures instigated by President Trump's executive order. How these contrasting narratives and data assessments will influence future policies and public perception remains to be seen.
In conclusion, AFL's filing of a FOIA request serves to scrutinize purported discrepancies in crime reporting by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. This development comes amid federal intervention led by President Trump based on reported inaccuracies. AFL continues its initiatives despite D.C.'s contentions, with both sides presenting starkly contrasting accounts of the district's crime realities.
