The U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether officials at Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department manipulated crime statistics to make public-safety conditions appear better than they were, according to people familiar with the matter. The probe is being run out of the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, which is examining whether crime reports were downgraded or left unrecorded in violation of federal law. The inquiry follows President Donald Trump’s accusation that city leaders supplied “fake crime numbers” as his administration asserted temporary control over the capital’s policing. On Aug. 7 the White House invoked the district’s Home Rule statute to deploy federal agents and National Guard troops and to place Attorney General Pam Bondi in charge of law-enforcement operations for up to 30 days. Since the start of the federal operation, the White House says officers have made 465 arrests and recovered 68 illegal firearms. Fifty-two of those arrests occurred on the night of Aug. 18, when suspects ranged from an alleged MS-13 gang member to individuals wanted for assault and homicide. Earlier tallies released by Bondi put the number of arrests above 300 within the first week. Local officials dispute the need for the takeover, noting city data that show a 26 percent year-over-year drop in violent crime. Police-union chairman Gregg Pemberton countered that commanders had pressured officers to misclassify incidents, calling the practice “illegal” and welcoming federal scrutiny. The investigation heightens tensions between the White House and Mayor Muriel Bowser over control of the district’s public-safety apparatus. Both the Justice Department and the Metropolitan Police Department declined to comment on the ongoing probe.