Oversight Report Says DC's Metro Police Can't Be Bothered To Investigate Serious Crimes

from the why-fight-crime-when-you-can-just-shuffle-papers dept

Police, v. : maintain law and order

Police, n.: responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of law and order

Given these definitions, how is it that Washington, DC's Metro Transit Police Department still has the word "police' in its name?

Metro Transit Police can’t demonstrate that officers investigated thousands of reported robberies, assaults, sex offenses and property crimes over a span of several years, according to the agency’s internal watchdog.

In the case of 1,200 reported crimes, “investigative case files lacked any documentation of investigative activity,” according to a report released Thursday by the agency’s Office of Inspector General. More than 1,600 other case files were missing or withheld from the inspector general, according to the report.

Don't let the name "transit" fool you as much as the word "police" has. The Transit Police "investigate" all crimes that occur on city transit property. Some of these are serious crimes. And they're treated with way less enthusiasm than officers deploy against fare jumpers.

909 cases were open robberies (4.89%)
108 cases were open felony assaults (.58%)
471 cases were open misdemeanor assault (2.53%)
3 cases were open felony sex offenses (.02%)
66 cases were open misdemeanor sex Offenses (.36%)
48 cases were open indecent exposure cases (.26%)
1514 cases were open crimes against property (8.15%
)

This is part of the long list of crimes that MTPD isn't solving or even, apparently, investigating. The Inspector General's report [PDF] is an entertaining read, but for all the wrong reasons. It details a distressing amount of incompetence or lack of cooperation. Or possibly both.

OIG began its investigation in August 2020 and has made multiple attempts to recover all 3,110 investigative files. OIG has provided MTPD numerous opportunities to produce all investigative material associated with these complaints, but MTPD’s production, to date, has been incomplete. After six months, multiple suspense deadlines, and given the significant decrease in the volume of investigative case files being produce by MTPD, the OIG closed its investigation with MTPD’s limited production of investigative files.

[...]

An analysis of the documentation provided revealed that approximately 84.1% (1,215 cases) of what MTPD described as investigative case files lacked any documentation of investigative activity. MTPD staff’s failure to properly and accurately maintain investigative files, evidence, and/or associated judicial records obstructed OIG’s ability to determine if CID Detectives ignored victim complaints between 2010 and 2017.

You know, obstruction is a crime. Obviously, someone other than the MTPD should investigate this.

Maybe it's not just incompetence. The OIG notes it opened an investigation in 2012 after receiving an allegation that Transit detectives were falsifying investigations. In that investigation, the OIG found discrepancies between what was documented by CID (Criminal Investigations Division) detectives and what the OIG was told by crime victims it interviewed.

The obstruction/incompetence was present then, too.

As in this current investigation, in 2012, the OIG requested to review 2011 and 2012 CID case files; however, MTPD could not produce 88 out of 134 randomly selected suspended case files.

Corrective actions were ordered and supposedly implemented. But the Inspector General says nearly a decade later, some of what it recommended still has yet to be completed by the MTPD.

From what's seen in this report, it appears the MTPD just isn't interested in investigating crimes. The investigation files seen by the Inspector General contained almost no evidence any investigation occurred. Instead, it appeared CID detectives were simply checking boxes until the case could be closed, in most cases without any resolution.

Out of the 1,445 case files provided, 82.1% (1,186 cases) contained only a one-page closing document without any evidence that an actual investigation was ever conducted. Moreover, 2% (29 cases) contained only two documents, a closing document and the ER [End Report], which is a document generally prepared based on information gathered by the responding MTPD officer. In these 29 cases, however, there was still no evidence that an actual investigation was ever conducted.

Even though these one-page closing documents did not contain investigative activity, they were nonetheless used to change the status of these investigations from open to suspended, which signifies that no further investigative activity was warranted. Most closing documents were signed by CID management officials who justified the suspension status change of these investigations based solely on a written claim that the statute of limitations to bring charges against a suspect had passed along with a statement indicating they were unable to locate the original report and case file.

Sure, the statute of limitations can prevent some cases from being investigated further, but the MTPD had no idea if the statute of limitations had run because it often had no idea what specific crime was alleged. The cases were "suspended" by CID supervisors, who never bothered to speak to detectives to see what investigative activity had occurred or obtain further details about the alleged crime.

The whole system -- bought and paid for with the tax dollars of underserved DC residents -- sucks. It starts at the top, gets worse in the middle, and by the time it reaches the bottom, the only thing that does "work" is the perverse incentives.

OIG interviewed numerous other individuals who were current and/or former CID supervisors from 2010 through 2020. None of these individuals could definitively state that all 3,110 victim and general complaints were investigated. They all expressed concern over the discovery of 3,110 complaints that still appeared to be in an open status in the CID database. They generally attributed the lack of accountability and oversight of CID cases to a variety of factors, including lack of supervisory knowledge of CID’s duties and responsibilities; insufficient supervisory staff; lack of administrative case oversight; high caseloads; nonexistence of policies and procedures; and lack of a case tracking system. In addition, the interviews uncovered that performance evaluations of case work only focused on closure rates, which did not account for suspended cases and/or disposition of previously open cases from past fiscal years.

This investigation by the Inspector General is yet another MTPD-related investigation that can never be considered properly closed. The IG says it is forced to conclude that records related to 1,500 investigations simply no longer exist.

As the IG points out, this is abysmal and it will result in a host of negative side effects. The OIG says (again) the MTPD obstructed its ability to carry out this investigation properly. The large number of missing investigative files make it impossible to determine whether or not CID detectives ignored complaints from victims -- another allegation of misconduct that cannot fully be resolved. The missing documentation will also put past prosecutions in jeopardy of being overturned. Finally, there's the blow to public confidence the MTPD can't possibly absorb -- not with its history of tagging minorities for minor offenses while ignoring more serious criminal acts occurring in its jurisdiction.

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Filed Under: crimes, dc, investigation, metro police, police


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  1. icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 13 Jul 2021 @ 4:10pm

    Who do these keystone cops think they are??? Congress?
    They are paid to do a job they are are actively refusing to do & putting more effort into hiding their failure than protecting people.

    You don't have records, you don't have a job.
    In fact we will be investigating to see if we can claw back your pay, because you were taking the money under the false pretense you were doing the job. You hindered the investigation and obstruction is a crime and hey we will actually investigate it and you will end up in court... pretty sure there is a case somewhere that says lying on offical documents is a crime so no QI for you!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    sorrykb (profile), 13 Jul 2021 @ 4:21pm

    One more reason to abolish the police

    Police aren’t just abusive and racist tools of the carceral state….
    Turns out they’re also really bad at preventing and solving crime.

    And not just in DC

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 13 Jul 2021 @ 4:30pm

    'Give us these documents.' '... Nah' 'Never mind then.'

    The OIG says (again) the MTPD obstructed its ability to carry out this investigation properly.

    If you can tell the people tasked with providing oversight over you 'get lost, I'm not giving you anything' and get away with it then either they lack the power to provide any meaningful oversight and are intended just to go through the motions or they lack the interest in doing their jobs, both of which are worse than no oversight at all as they present an illusionary facade of oversight when none actually exists.

    Such a blatant disinterest in doing their job would be bad enough in another profession but given we're talking about people tasked(theoretically) with dealing with crimes against people and property their utter indifference reaches whole new levels of horrifying and should be grounds to fire the entire bloody lot of them and bar them from ever working a job where not doing it has consequences for anyone else.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Glenn, 13 Jul 2021 @ 4:44pm

    Given that no evidence exists of MTPD actually doing any work, can they even justify their existence, let alone their budget?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    ECA (profile), 13 Jul 2021 @ 4:54pm

    Cant do anything unless they see it?

    Ever wonder why they dont have cameras in the metro?
    OR do they?

    Love the section of past CID. Good excuses when you keep taking money OUT of the system.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Pixelation, 13 Jul 2021 @ 5:52pm

    Metro police say..." see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil", and definitely, prosecute no evil.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jul 2021 @ 3:30am

    who's in charge?

    Surely there is some municipal entity in charge of the MTPD, the mayor's office or the state or something. Who the F still allows this type of carp to continue?
    Fire everyone and start afresh. I swear we are allowing this country to become like fkn Paraguay*.

    *3rd world banana republic picked at random with the hope it adequately conveys the level of corruption and dysfunction we sink towards....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jul 2021 @ 5:35am

    Re: One more reason to abolish the police

    Probably not abolish entirely, but certainly replace with more competent and ethical organization.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 14 Jul 2021 @ 7:18am

    Re: who's in charge?

    Because the quote for the news story will talk about how the politician hates cops & wants everyone to be raped an murdered.
    A majority of people will believe it because they assume the cops are doing a great job because it wasn't their daughter who was raped on the train & these assholes never bothered to look for who assaulted her.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Melvin Chudwaters, 14 Jul 2021 @ 8:32am

    Is anyone shocked? Of course they don't investigate crimes. While that is nominally one of their primary duties, reality is very different.

    Police (truly) serve only three functions.

    1. They secure their own revenue (through civil forfeiture). This tends to target those involved in the drug trade, but not them exclusively.
    2. They act to promote their own legitimacy as the dominant gang within the United States, through intimidation tactics, bravado, political interference, and occasionally heroic acts (only when it suits them).
    3. They serve as the occupational force of the United States government, which since the mid-20th century (and possibly before) has sought to treat all citizens as criminals and the country itself as a conquered but unsurrendered nation.

    What this means for adults who are realistic enough to accept it is:

    1. They will not protect you or anyone else. Not from robbery, not from assault, not from rape, not from murder.
    2. They are not competent enough at investigating crimes to even act as a deterrent to those crimes. And they certainly have little interest in doing so.
    3. No victims will see justice except by accident.
    4. They create, encourage, and incentivize violent crime.
    5. Their existence is contrary to wholesome, moral life.
    6. No one should ever, when it is within their power to avoid it, come to the attention of the police. When they do, they should strive to disappear from their attention in the most uninteresting way they can contrive.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    bshock, 14 Jul 2021 @ 8:49am

    This is news? I thought everyone knew that the only real purpose of the police was to keep the poor in check.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    ECA (profile), 14 Jul 2021 @ 11:40am

    Re: Re: who's in charge?

    Arnt we supposed to believe in our representatives?
    Those elected to do the jobs that are Against the law for us to do?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    ECA (profile), 14 Jul 2021 @ 11:48am

    Re: who's in charge?

    For the regular worker we have to Prove ourselves every day, and be evaluated by 3-4 boss's. When did we stop doing the same for our representatives and elected?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jul 2021 @ 5:35pm

    I think the more likely reasin is not wishing to take any risks going after people who may retaliate when cornered. A much safer option is to just carry on shooting unarmed citizens, those who are sick, injured or unable to defend themselves or are simply innocent bystanders!

    link to this | view in thread ]


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