Jeffery Carroll named interim DC police chief days after agency accused of fudging crime data

Veteran police officer Jeffery Carroll has been appointed as the interim chief of Washington’s police force, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday. This decision comes after the previous police chief announced his resignation earlier this month.

Carroll, who has been a part of the Metropolitan Police Department since 2002, currently serves as the executive assistant chief of specialized operations. In this role, he is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the department. He was appointed to this position by outgoing police Chief Pamela Smith in 2023.

Carroll’s profile has been on the rise recently, as he stood alongside Mayor Bowser at press conferences following the shooting incident involving two National Guard troops near the White House. He provided crucial details about the incident, including the fact that it was carried out by a lone gunman.

As a career officer with the MPD, Carroll follows in the footsteps of other chiefs who have climbed the ranks within the department. However, he steps into the interim chief role during a challenging period. Questions have been raised by members of Congress and the U.S. attorney’s office about how the department reports its crime statistics. Additionally, city council members and residents have expressed concerns about the MPD’s involvement in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Smith, who took over as chief in 2023, was tasked with stabilizing a department grappling with staffing shortages and a city struggling with rising crime rates following the pandemic. However, her tenure was marked by a power struggle as the federal government asserted control over the MPD and deployed National Guard troops and federal agents alongside city officers.

In response to a spike in violence in 2023, city leaders expanded police authority by authorizing drug-free zones in high-crime areas and revising parts of the criminal code to address violent offenses. This proactive approach led to a decrease in overall crime by about 17% in the first 10 weeks of 2024, attributed to the new laws and targeted deployments in troubled neighborhoods. Smith also implemented temporary youth curfew zones in certain parts of the district.

The leadership change within the police department coincides with Mayor Bowser’s announcement that she will not seek reelection next year. As Carroll assumes his new role as interim chief, he faces the challenge of navigating the complex landscape of law enforcement in the nation’s capital during a time of heightened scrutiny and change.