DC oversight report shows more police misconduct complaints in early FY2025, with recurring body-camera issues

Complaints rose even as overall public contacts fell

New oversight figures show an uptick in formal complaints against District police during the first half of Fiscal Year 2025, alongside an increase in investigations opened by the city’s civilian police-complaint agency.

From Oct. 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, the agency recorded 470 formal complaints and opened 180 new investigations. Those totals represent a 6% increase in formal complaints and a 7% increase in new investigations compared with the same period a year earlier.

At the same time, overall contacts from the public dropped by 20% during the period covered by the report, a divergence that suggests fewer general inquiries but a higher share that advanced to a formal complaint.

Most allegations involved harassment and language or conduct

Among cases the agency investigated during the reporting window, harassment was the most common allegation category, accounting for 53%. Allegations of inappropriate language or conduct made up 22%, and unnecessary or excessive force accounted for 14%.

The agency investigated 327 total complaints (including new cases and open cases carried over from prior fiscal years), which was a 2% decrease from the mid-year count in FY2024.

• Formal complaints filed (Oct. 2024–Mar. 2025): 470
• New investigations initiated: 180
• Total complaints investigated (including prior-year carryover): 327
• Largest allegation categories: harassment, inappropriate language/conduct, unnecessary or excessive force

Body-worn camera footage was often available, but compliance problems persisted

The report flags continued concerns related to body-worn camera (BWC) compliance. In 83% of investigated cases, BWC footage was available. However, in 20% of cases that included footage, the agency identified at least one form of non-compliance—such as cameras being activated late, not activated, or having the view obstructed.

The mid-year data also includes breakdowns of where complaints originated, by police district and by ward, showing changes in the geographic distribution of complaints from mid-year FY2024 to mid-year FY2025.

Policy tracking: most prior recommendations were not fully implemented

Beyond case processing, the report summarizes oversight work tied to policy recommendations. A separate implementation update released Jan. 15, 2025, assessed 26 earlier recommendations directed to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) from Fiscal Year 2023. The update found that two recommendations had been fully implemented, 10 partially implemented, and 14 not implemented.

The mid-year report period covered Oct. 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, and reflects complaint intake, investigative activity, and oversight themes—including body-camera compliance—during that timeframe.

Context from the prior fiscal year

The new mid-year findings follow a record-high complaint total in the prior fiscal year. In FY2024, the agency reported 942 complaints, a 7% increase from FY2023. FY2024 also logged 1,553 allegations of misconduct, led by harassment (48%), inappropriate language or conduct (25%), and unnecessary or excessive force (13%).