After news of a spike in burglaries in Upper Northwest, residents have gotten word of increased Metropolitan Police Department  patrols. But the supposed surge in activity in the Second District, the police district for the area, could be hampered by a recent development: Five patrol vehicles have been pulled from the area, internal police documents show. Two cars were reassigned on Dec. 29, 2010, three on Jan. 4.

Documents instruct 2D officials to turn the cars “in to fleet.”

MPD didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry regarding why the cars had been taken from the district. A police source says losing five cars is tough: “It’s like taking a crutch away from a one-legged man.”

He says cars can be taken away for a variety of reasons, including the age of the vehicle. According to documents, two of the cars were made in 2004, two in 2006, and one in 2005. Documents show they’re in working order, which the police source thought was odd. “We usually use cars until they literally fall apart,” the source says.

To get conspiratorial about the loss, rumor in the department has it that a whistle-blower from 2D exposed an alleged MPD cheating scandal last year. Could this be payback?

Photo by conner395 via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution license