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It’s the end of an era for District crime coverage. After years as the Metropolitan Police Department’s top spokeswoman, Gwendolyn Crump is out at the agency.
It’s not immediately clear why or when Crump left MPD, although the District’s recent “summer of blood” couldn’t have helped her career. An auto-responder on her MPD email address states that she is “no longer with” MPD. Another MPD spokeswoman confirmed to LL that Crump has left the department.
Normally, a spokeswoman’s mystery exit wouldn’t occasion much notice for LL, but Crump’s general lack of helpfulness, combined with her position at one of the most important District government agencies, made her legendary with reporters—and not in a good way. At least in LL’s case, a call to the general MPD media line would turn up more information than a call or email to Crump herself.
Over the years, a popular topic of discussion among reporters before press conferences has been why media and political favorite Chief Cathy Lanier allowed the Crump situation to persist.
Whatever the reason, it’s over now!
Photo by Darrow Montgomery