Jeffery Carroll will be D.C.’s interim police chief following the resignation of Pamela Smith and amid allegations that police officials manipulated crime data, Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed Wednesday.
Multiple sources familiar with the decision told News4 of Carroll’s appointment to the role ahead of Bowser’s announcement.
“I’m deeply honored and sincerely grateful for the trust you placed in me,” Carroll said at the afternoon news conference.
Carroll, the executive assistant chief of Specialized Operations at the Metropolitan Police Department, is stepping in as the department deals with ongoing federal investigations and accusations that Smith directed commanders to manipulate crime data. It’s an allegation Smith and Bowser firmly deny.
“We know there’s some concerns related to the data. So, really focusing on three areas of improved training for our officers as it relates to the classifications of crime, and … how we ensure we’re properly classifying crime. Also, enhancing our policy and technology controls for making changes to classifications,” Carroll said when asked about the crime data issue.
News4 asked Carroll if he would make any changes to how D.C. police cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
“I just want to kind of take a look at the operations of the police department, kind of see where we’re at, and then any decisions about policy changes and things like that, give a little time with that,” he said. “We’ll continue to work with our federal law enforcement partners.”
Carroll has been responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the police department. Smith assigned him to the executive assistant chief in 2023. Before taking that role, Carroll served in several positions throughout MPD over the span of 20 years, according to his bio on the MPD website.
He will take over as interim chief on Jan. 1. Smith’s last day on the job is Dec. 31.
Two of the biggest issues facing Carroll as he takes over will be immigration enforcement and the integrity of MPD’s crime statistics.
Carroll said another focus for him will be to restore the public’s trust in the department, which has been fractured during the federal law enforcement surge.
“We’re here to build trust and to work with people. We don’t want anyone to feel scared or fearful to contact the police. Whether it’s a victim of crime or they need police services. So I urge them to reach out to us to work with us. I know there’s been a lot of things said in the media publicly about immigration enforcement. MPD is here to work with the community to keep us all safe,” he said.
Carroll is one of the few Bowser administration officials who has regularly attended meetings with top White House officials since the federal surge in D.C. began.
He’s also served as part of the command staff for the past four police chiefs.
Because Bowser isn’t seeking reelection, it’s likely the next mayor will name their own police chief. That puts into question whether Carroll would go through the typical confirmation process.
“This is a conversation. I have had this conversation with, with Jeff and so he recognizes that we have some options for him serving as interim,” Bowser said. “This is not a normal confirmation process.”
But Council Chair Phil Mendelson told News4 he expects Carroll to go through that process. D.C. law requires the D.C. Council to confirm the police chief within 180 days.
“I’d like there to be a permanent Chief as quickly as possible but they absolutely need to go through the confirmation process first. I think it’s a bad approach otherwise. We should be trying to come up with the best Chief possible and we want them to be in the position for a long time. Stability has a benefit in reducing crime,” he said.
It’s unclear if Carroll, who lives in Calvert County, Maryland, will move into the city, which is a legal requirement once confirmed.
Smith’s departure from MPD
Smith announced earlier this month that she would step down from the department.
Sources said Smith has planned a ceremonial walkout for Friday morning.
Smith took over as chief in July 2023, when D.C. was experiencing a spike in violent crime, particularly homicides. As chief, she oversaw a dramatic drop in crime in just about every category.
The past four months, though, were overshadowed by President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge, a temporary presidential takeover of the police department, community outrage over D.C. police participation in federal immigration enforcement and two ongoing federal investigations into allegations that police officials manipulated crime data.
Plus, Bowser said she won’t seek reelection.
Smith dismissed all of those as being factors in her decision to step down.
“My decision was not factored into anything, with respect, other than the fact that it’s time,” she said. “I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family.”
“This has really been a fast-paced role because it is in a major city,” she added. “And I know that the challenges that we faced have, you know, we’ve had some high points and we’ve had some low points, but, respectfully, right now, this is a personal decision for myself and for my family.”
Allegations of crime data manipulation
In an interim report, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said Smith tried to make it appear that crime was lower in the nation’s capital than it actually was.
The report, labeled “Leadership Breakdown: How DC’s Police Chief Undermined Crime Data Accuracy,” highlights a report from News4’s Paul Wagner, who reported this summer about allegations of crime data manipulation.
It was the second federal report in just two days to call out Smith for allegedly manipulating stats to make the city appear safer. The House committee report also accuses her of creating a toxic culture.
News4 obtained a Department of Justice draft report Friday that called the Metropolitan Police Department’s crime data “likely unreliable and inaccurate due to misclassifications,” adding “violent crime is not being accurately documented and reported to the public.”
The report alleges MPD has been systematically downgrading hundreds of crimes to show a decrease.
“I don’t see any evidence of that,” Bowser said Monday. “If the claim is – and I don’t think anybody has demonstrated that the police chief directed anybody to change numbers – when the committee provides me their backup information, which they haven’t, when the committee provided the report to the Washington Post before they provided it to us, highly unusual when you’re talking about an audit of numbers, because frequently, audits of numbers are misunderstood.”
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