DC police officials face termination after federal probe found department manipulated crime data: report

The MPD declined to explain why the two were removed from duty, according to the news outlet.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the MPD, the Justice Department and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for comment.

The findings were based on a review of nearly 6,000 reports and interviews with more than 50 witnesses, showing that D.C.'s crime numbers were significantly understated, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at the time.

She allegedly used mandatory crime briefings - held twice a week in person and three times a week via video - to publicly "dress down" and humiliate commanders in front of their colleagues if they reported an increase in crime, the report states. Commanders who reported crime spikes, or who simply questioned her actions, faced immediate professional retaliation.

"Justice is being served," he said in a statement. "The command staff officials responsible for this betrayal must be held accountable, not just for the sake of the thousands of dedicated MPD officers they undermined, but for the residents of the District of Columbia who deserve honest leadership and real public safety. The corruption that endangered lives, eroded trust and allowed shooters, robbers and predators to evade justice cannot be tolerated."

Pemberton added that the union had previously warned officials that "this toxic culture of coercion, fear and corruption left thousands of cases uninvestigated, denied victims justice, gaslit residents, and endangered public safety."