Misleading crime stats? FBI veteran reveals what’s really happening in DC

Jody Weis, who is a retired FBI special agent in charge, as well as a former police superintendent in Chicago, said statistics change all the time. He added that states classify crimes differently.

As an example, he said assault in Texas can either mean a threat or the actual physical contact. In Illinois, he said assault is the threat or the fear of bodily harm, while battery is used to describe the actual physical contact.

"As you can see, when states report things differently, then people have to bring these together. Then, you have the other consideration, as you brought up. Oftentimes, crimes can be misclassified or downgraded. For example, a robbery can be downgraded to wither a burglary or to a simple assault. Burglaries can also be downgraded into trespassing," Weis said.

"So, I bring this up because oftentimes departments will downgrade things to make a better picture of their crime. Think about it. In Metropolitan Police Department in D.C., there is a commander currently on paid administrative leave for being accused of altering crime statistics, So, stats are very difficult. I always say, ‘The truth in criminal statistics is oftentimes a moving target,'" he added.

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#crime #FBI #statistics #violence #DCcrime #DC #homicide #carjacking #DonaldTrump #MurielBowser

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