D.C. assistant police chief placed on leave after improper text messages found

A high-ranking D.C. assistant police chief has been placed on administrative leave, with his police powers revoked, after an investigation surfaced inappropriate text messages on his work phone, according to multiple law enforcement officials.

A police spokesman confirmed on Thursday that Executive Assistant Chief Andre Wright, along with his wife, who also works in the department, were placed on administrative leave.

Wright, who oversees all patrol operations in the department has been widely considered second-in-command under interim chief Jeffery Carroll.

His wife, Natasha Wright, is an inspector in the department’s human resources division, according to D.C. police spokesman Tom Lynch.

Lynch said that, beyond confirming that both Wrights were placed on administrative leave, the department could not comment on active internal investigations and personnel matters. He also declined to comment on whether the investigations into the Wrights were related to text messages. A spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) declined to comment and referred The Washington Post to the police spokesman’s comments.

Andre Wright did not return a phone call seeking comment and efforts to reach Natasha Wright were unsuccessful.

NBC Washington was first to report that the pair was placed on administrative leave.

Three D.C. police officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive internal matter, said the disciplinary action was related to the text messages found on Wright’s work phone. The Post could not confirm the content of those messages.

Wright, a 32-year veteran of the department, was promoted to the executive assistant chief position by former police chief Pamela A. Smith in 2024, appointed to oversee patrol operations citywide.

Wright has been scrutinized for other issues in the recent past.

His name appeared multiple times in a draft Department of Justice report on alleged crime statistic manipulation at the department; DOJ investigators alleged that Smith had created a “culture of fear” that incentivized officials to misclassify crimes. The seven-page DOJ report, obtained by The Washington Post, was thin on details about alleged misbehavior by Wright, but said that 21 witnesses provided “derogatory information” regarding him and another assistant chief.

The report, which also did not include specific examples of command staff being ordered to manipulate crime statistics, excoriated Smith’s leadership style. Smith rebuked the allegations in a fiery goodbye speech following her December resignation, and Bowser stood by her chief, crediting her with the significant reduction in crime seen citywide during her tenure.

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