Examining the systemic issues within the Metropolitan Police Department, from aggressive tactics to evidence mishandling.
The Department of Justice and civil rights organizations have repeatedly flagged MPD's "Jump Out" squads for unconstitutional stops and racial profiling.
For years, DC residents in predominantly Black neighborhoods have lived in fear of the Gun Recovery Unit, known locally as "Jump Out Boys." These plainclothes officers drive unmarked cars and aggressively stop and frisk civilians, often without probable cause.
OFFICER: SGT. JOHNSON
SUBJECT: UNIDENTIFIED JUVENILE MALE (16)
NARRATIVE:
Unit observed subject walking near 14th St. Subject looked suspicious and adjusted waistband. Unit exited vehicle and engaged. Subject fled.
FINDINGS: Body camera footage reveals subject was simply walking home from school. No weapon was found. The "waistband adjustment" was the subject pulling up his pants.
DISCIPLINARY ACTION: NONE. OFFICER CLEARED OF WRONGDOING.
DC has a troubling history of detectives extracting false confessions, particularly from young suspects. High-pressure interrogation tactics, sleep deprivation, and deception have led innocent people to admit to crimes they did not commit.
Eight young men were wrongfully convicted of the murder of Catherine Fuller in 1984 based on coerced confessions and withheld evidence. It took decades to uncover the truth.
Hundreds of MPD officers appear on the internal "Brady List"—a roster of officers with credibility issues due to past misconduct, lying, or criminal convictions. Yet, many of these officers remain on the force and continue to testify in court.