Robert J. Contee III is the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of

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United States. He was appointed by Mayor

Muriel Bowser Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician serving since 2015 as the eighth mayor of the District of Columbia. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 4th ward as a member of the Council ...

as acting chief effective January 2, 2021, and was confirmed unanimously by the

DC Council The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...

on May 4, replacing

Peter Newsham Peter Newsham (born ) was the Chief of Police of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) from January 2017 to January 2021. He is currently Chief of the Prince William County Police Department in Virginia, having b ...

Early life and education

Contee grew up in the Carver Langston neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and worked a series of jobs as a teenager, and took part in then-D.C. Mayor

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as the second and fourth mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democrat, Barry had serve ...

's Youth Leadership Institute, eventually becoming a D.C. police cadet at 17 years old while attending

Spingarn High School Joel Elias Spingarn High School was a public high school located in the District of Columbia, USA. The school is named after Joel Elias Spingarn (1875–1939) an American educator and literary critic who established the Spingarn Medal in 1913, awa ...

. He holds a bachelor's degree in Professional Studies with concentration in Police Science from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

, and has completed the Management College at the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration and the Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) of the Police Executive Research Forum in Boston, Massachusetts.

Career

Contee joined the Metropolitan Police Department as a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

in 1989, while a senior in high school, and became a sworn officer in 1992. After being first assigned to the Third District he quickly rose through the ranks serving as a sergeant in the Second District and the Metropolitan Police Academy. Contee was promoted to lieutenant and subsequently served as a Patrol Services Area leader in the Second District, was assigned to the Regional Operations Command - North, and lead the intelligence branch. In 2004, Chief Contee was promoted to captain and was tasked with overseeing the Homicide Branch and Sexual Assault Unit. Contee was promoted to Second District commander in August 2004 and was transferred to the Special Operations Division (SOD) in April 2006, where he was responsible for overseeing tactical patrol, special events and traffic safety functions. Following his post at SOD, Chief Contee became commander of the Sixth District in 2007, before taking command of the Recruiting Division in October 2014. He was named commander of the First District in January 2016, and was appointed Assistant Chief of MPD's Professional Development Bureau in the summer 2016 where he oversaw the Human Resources Management Division, Disciplinary Review Division, the Metropolitan Police Academy, and Recruiting Division. In April 2017, Chief Contee was named Patrol Chief of Patrol Services South (PSS), which included his oversight of the First, Sixth, and Seventh Police Districts. In March 2018, he was named assistant chief of the Investigative Services Bureau, which includes the Criminal Investigations Division, the Narcotics and Special Investigations Division, the Crime Scene Investigations Division, the Youth and Family Services Division, and the School Safety Division. Contee was promoted to Chief of Police by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on January 2, 2021, just four days prior to the attack on the US Capitol Building.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Contee, Robert J. Living people Chiefs of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia African-American police officers George Washington University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)