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DC Police Union Says Mayor Is Lying About Crime Stats

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The D.C. Police Union is accusing Mayor Muriel Bowser of fudging the facts about city crime statistics following comments she made.

Last Thursday, Bowser tweeted an infographic claiming that Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier is responsible for a more than 50 percent reduction in crime during her tenure.

The union, in a post on its blog, however, claims that this is far from the truth, and in fact, crime in the city is actually up under Lanier’s leadership.

Lanier took charge of the police force in January of 2007, and in that year there were just more than 34,000 total crimes in the district, according to data provided by the police department.

During 2014, according to the same crime statistics provided by the police department, there were just more than 38,500 crimes committed in D.C.

That leaves the city with around 4,500 more crimes in 2014 than in 2007, when Lanier became police chief, which accounts for a roughly 13 percent increase.

“Mayor Muriel Bowser’s statement – Chief Cathy Lanier “is responsible for over a 50% reduction in crime during her tenure” – is blatantly false,” the union’s fact check says.

Inquiries to the mayor’s office requesting clarification of the infographic and an explanation of how the mayor came to the 50 percent number were not immediately returned.(RELATED: DC Government Makes No Effort To Hide Its Butthurt About Murder Rate Media Coverage)

Gregg Pemberton, a spokesman for the DC Police Union, told The Daily Caller News Foundation the mayor and police chief were simply in “damage control.”

“Both their numbers are plummeting and they need to save face,” Pemberton said. “Lies are the best way to do that.”

The city has seen a huge jump in the number of murders committed within its borders this year. In late August the number of murders had already reached the entire number committed in all of 2014.

Lanier had a 71 percent approval rating last fall, but it seems she may be suddenly vulnerable with the rise in violent crime and a recent vote of “no confidence” from the police union.

The vote concluded Sunday night with more than 1,000 police officers, or around 97 percent of those who participated, voting “no confidence” in Chief Lanier’s ability to manage the police force.

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