Here's a great DC-Police-related post, paraphrased from a story a friend told me.
So I was walking to my parking space in A-M to get the car so I could do some heavy grocery shopping. I rent this space on a monthly basis, and it's in a private parking lot. As I walked towards space 16, which belongs to me and me alone, I noticed something unusual: a Prius-sized hole where my car should be. Aaaaack! My car has been stolen! I called the insurance company, then called the DC police. After taking the license tag number, the woman on the phone said "your car is at 123 Adams Mill NW." Huh? "Why is my car there?" "I don't know, but our system shows your car at 123 Adams Mill Rd." So I walked around a while before realizing that 123 Adams Mill Rd. is an impound lot. My car had been towed!
To make a long story short, the impound lot person traded me $260 for my car and a police ticket that showed the badge number of the helpful officer who authorized my car to be towed from my private rented space. It seems the helpful office responded to a complaint that my car was in someone else's spot, simply believed the complainant, and had my car towed.
I called the police back, and told them the story. The helpful woman on the other end said (at least I think she said) that I would have to talk to the officer who authorized the towing. I read her the badge number on the ticket. She responded "there is no such badge number in our system." So I asked what to do next. "I have no idea ma'am." After much verbal goading she offered to put me in touch with her supervisor. (And seemed relieved that she would be rid of me finally and get back to playing solitaire on her work PC.) The transferred call went immediately to a full voicemail box.
End of story. While DC's finest are never around to prevent the several-per-weekend break-ins, incidences of vandalism, shootings, muggings, and general mayhem in A-M, they had time to have someone's car towed from their private rented spot. And then, poof!, when told about their mistake, disappear again.