Bowser Picks Native Son To Lead DC Police Department

WASHINGTON, DC — The District of Columbia has a new top cop. On Tuesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser named Assistant Chief Robert Contee as her pick to be the new chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

"With all that he has seen, he is confident that MPD can lead the way and serve as a blueprint for a modern day police department, a department that can be used in new and better ways to reduce violent crime and to continue to engage the community," Bowser said, during a Tuesday morning news conference.

Contee, whose most recent role was as the assistant chief of MPD's Investigative Services Bureau, will succeed outgoing Chief Peter Newsham, who announced his departure at the end of November. Starting in February, Newsham will be the new chief of police for Prince William County in Virginia.

"I know that Chief Contee is the leader that our department and our community need right now, and I am proud to nominate him to be the next police chief," Bowser said.

During the news conference, Contee thanked the mayor, his family, and members of the department, saying that he was proud to be nominated as the next chief.

A D.C. native, Contee was raised on 21st Street, Northeast in Ward 5's Carver Terrace community.

"Back then, especially the 1980s and '90s, life was not easy in my neighborhood," he said. "Many of the challenges and traumas experienced by so many young people today were very real and present in my community, but also in my home. Shootings, murders, crime, drug dealing, poverty, joblessness, hopelessness, domestic violence, educational and health disparities were all very present in the community."

Contee also recalled experiencing the mental impact of drug use and abuse in his home.

"You see, my father was 17-years-old when I was born," he said. "And he not only sold drugs, but he was sick with addiction before I was born into this world. I knew the smell of marijuana as a young kid. I remember the smell of PCP packaged in aluminum foil for sale and stored in a mayonnaise jar in the freezer in our home."

These and other firsthand experiences that Contee faced as a young boy helped to inform the man he would become. He also credited his mother for instilling in him a sense of perseverance and having "an attitude of gratitude."

"She taught me how to be humble and to work hard," Contee said. "As a result, I live by the motto, 'Excellence is transferable.' In all that I do, I aim to do it in the spirit of excellence. In my house, my mom did not tolerate half-way doing anything. That means you keep trying until you get it right. Regardless of my childhood challenges, my mom and dad, they were my heroes."

Growing up in D.C., Contee took a number of odd jobs to help break the cycle of poverty in his family. He also took advantage of a number of initiatives, such as the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment program and Mayor Marion Barry's Summer Youth Leadership Institute at Howard University.

Contee's big break came in 1989 when he joined MPD as a cadet at the age of 17.

"It changed my entire life," he said. "It was these and other opportunities that helped shape the man I am today. You may ask, why do I tell you all these things? The answer is simple: I have not forgotten where I come from."

According to Contee, these life experiences will help him to lead and guide the men and women of the police force to be the most intelligent, competent, capable, and compassionate crime fighters the District has ever seen.

"I want our officers to demonstrate compassion for people wherever they are on the road of life and be able to use discretion and seek alternatives whenever it is appropriate to resolve community conflict," he said. "As a priority, we will be laser focused on crime in our communities. People have a right to be safe and secure in their community."

After being sworn in as an officer in 1992, Contee rose quickly through the ranks, starting as a patrol officer in the Third District and becoming a patrol sergeant in the Second District. He also worked in patrol operations in the Second District as a lieutenant, which would lead to an assignment in MPD's Intelligence Branch.

In August 2004, Contee was named the Second District commander and transferred to the Special Operations Division in April 2006. In that role, he oversaw tactical patrol, special events, and traffic safety functions. After serving as the Sixth District commander, Contee took over command of the Recruiting Division in October 2014 and was named commander of the First District in January 2016.

Contee was also appointed assistant chief of the Professional Development Bureau, overseeing the Human Resources Management Division, Disciplinary Review Division, the Metropolitan Police Academy, and Recruiting Division. Assuming the role of Patrol Chief of Patrol Services South, he oversaw the First, Sixth, and Seventh Police districts.

On behalf of the people of the D.C., Bowser also thanked Newsham for his service to the District.

Newsham thanked the mayor and his staff. He also quipped about Bowser's talent for picking good police chiefs. That comment drew laughter from the audience, because he was the only chief she had selected before Contee.

"The good thing about Chief Contee is what you see is what you get," Newsham said. "His story is the man who he is. I could not be more proud of him today. He has a very deep bench at MPD who will support him and I know that he will be successful in this job and continue to move the Metropolitan Police Department in a positive direction."

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