WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington, D.C., have falsified data to make crime rates appear lower than they are, according to two people familiar with the probe who weren't authorized to publicly discuss an open investigation.

The Justice Department is investigating whether D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department manipulated crime data to make crime rates appear lower, two senior law enforcement officials tell NBC News.

The Department of Justice is investigating whether police in Washington, D.C., manipulated crime data and statistics.