Changes at the Top as Police Department Faces Data Concerns

The Metropolitan Police Department is going through a rough patch with a shakeup in leadership. Two high-ranking officers have been moved aside while an internal review looks into how crime reports were handled. This follows claims that crime data was altered to make things seem better than they really were. The higher-ups involved include Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy and Assistant Chief LaShay Makal. Both have been placed on leave while the investigation continues. The police union pointed out that this isn’t just a random review—it’s tied to serious accusations about how crime stats were changed.Take Savoy’s case as an example. She’s been accused of downgrading 390 thefts from a more serious crime to a minor one. That change makes crime numbers look smaller, even if nothing actually got safer on the streets. Meanwhile, the department itself is reorganizing. The Patrol Operations division has been scrapped, and roles are being shuffled around. The new boss, Jeffery Carroll, is pushing for tighter control over how crime data gets tracked and reported. This all follows a tough few months for the department. Carroll took over in January after his predecessor left suddenly. Earlier, there were even bigger claims about a culture where wrongdoing was overlooked. The latest numbers don’t help either. A recent report to the FBI showed violent crime actually went up by 1. 72% in 2024. That’s a huge difference from what the city had been claiming—a fake 28. 32% drop.