DOJ investigating whether declining DC crime rates were manipulated

(NewsNation) — The Justice Department is investigating whether officials at the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., falsified crime data, according to two people familiar with the probe.

City leaders have repeatedly pointed to that data, which puts violent crime at a 30-year low in the nation's capital, to argue against President Donald Trump's federal takeover.

As Trump deployed hundreds of National Guard members, he continually claimed violent crime was getting worse in D.C. — despite data from the district saying otherwise.

Now, the Justice Department is looking into the validity of those claims.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has not yet commented about the investigation, first reported by the New York Times.

National Guard presence in DC expected to double soon

The investigation comes as the number of National Guard members on the ground in D.C. is expected to grow once again.

Governors from Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio have offered up roughly 1,200 troops to aid in surveillance at the nation's capital.

Updated numbers from the Trump administration show 465 arrests since the operation began nearly two weeks ago. Almost half of those arrests involved people accused of being in the country illegally, according to the administration.

The D.C. police union said robberies in the district were down 46%, carjackings were down 83% and all crime was down 8% so far this month.

Appearing on NewsNation's "The Hill," Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin pointed to those numbers as proof that Trump's operation has been successful at targeting "high-crime areas."

"You can sense the vibe shift here in D.C. Families are more out ... you see the law enforcement presence, and it does make you feel safe," McLaughlin said. "But those statistics speaks for themselves."

Trump's DC crackdown skipping some high-crime areas

Residents say National Guard soldiers are not being sent to some high-crime areas in the district, including southeast D.C.

Some told NewsNation they're confused as to why there are no military-style vehicles or troops in the areas that need the most help.

"It's crazy around here. Lots of violence, you know, lots of killings everywhere," said resident Shearisce Holton. "So, I'm surprised. I thought they were coming. I haven't seen nobody."

Tom Donahue, a D.C. neighborhood commissioner, said the "show of force" from the Trump administration seems like a "spectacle for those that are visiting."

"Everybody's asking where all these, you know, additional forces are. But we don't see them anywhere. Drive around southeast (D.C.), and tell me where you see them," Donahue said.

NewsNation's Anna Kutz contributed to this report.