Robert Contee
{{short description|American police officer}}
{{Infobox police officer
|name = Robert Contee
|image = Robert J. Contee III official portrait.jpg
|caption = Official portrait, {{circa|2022}}
|badgenumber =
|birth_place = Washington, D.C., United States
|rank = Chief of Police
|department = {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.svg|size=23px}} Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
|allegiance = {{flagicon image|Flag of Washington, D.C..svg|size=23px}} District of Columbia
|service =
|serviceyears = 1992–2023
|awards =
|currentstatus=
|birth_date =c. 1972 (aged c. 52)
|almamater =George Washington University (BA)
}}
Robert J. Contee III (born {{Circa}} 1972) is the former Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., United States. He was appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser as acting chief effective January 2, 2021,{{cite news | title = Mayor chooses veteran officer Robert J. Contee as District's next police chief | newspaper = Washington Post | date = December 22, 2020 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/washington-police-chief-newsham-bowser-contee/2020/12/22/34739df8-30ef-11eb-bae0-50bb17126614_story.html | accessdate = January 2, 2021}} and was confirmed unanimously by the DC Council on May 4, replacing Peter Newsham.{{cite news | url = https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/516176/robert-contee-confirmed-as-chief-of-metropolitan-police-department/ | title = Robert Contee Confirmed as Chief of Metropolitan Police Department | work = Washington City Paper | date = May 5, 2021}} He retired from the Metropolitan Police Department on May 31, 2023.{{Cite web |title=Robert J. Contee III (retired) {{!}} mpdc |url=https://mpdc.dc.gov/node/1181821 |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=mpdc.dc.gov}}
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's Youth Leadership Institute, eventually becoming a D.C. police cadet at 17 years old while attending Spingarn High School.{{Cite web|title=Bowser Picks Longtime D.C. Police Official To Lead MPD|url=https://dcist.com/story/20/12/22/robert-j-contee-washington-dc-police-replace-chief-peter-newsham/|access-date=2021-07-26|website=DCist|language=en|archive-date=2021-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726203735/https://dcist.com/story/20/12/22/robert-j-contee-washington-dc-police-replace-chief-peter-newsham/|url-status=live}}
He holds a bachelor's degree in Professional Studies with concentration in Police Science from George Washington University, 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
{{2021 United States Capitol attack|expanded=Law enforcement}}
File:In. Swearing-in 18 Jan 2020-3 (50850686658).jpg]]
Contee joined the Metropolitan Police Department as a cadet in 1989, while a senior in high school, and became a sworn officer in 1992.{{cite web | title = Robert J. Contee III | publisher = Metropolitan Police Department | url = https://mpdc.dc.gov/biography/robert-contee1 | accessdate = January 2, 2021}} {{CC-notice|cc=by3}} 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. Chief Contee serves as a regular as a regular featured speaker at [https://dcpla.mpdc.dc.gov/ MPD's DC Police Leadership Academy].
On April 26, 2023, Contee announced his retirement from MPD, as he accepted a new position as assistant director of the FBI.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-26 |title=DC Police Chief Robert Contee III retiring |url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/dc-police-chief-robert-contee-iii-retiring |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=FOX 5 DC |language=en-US}}
References
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{{s-bef | before = Peter Newsham }}
{{s-ttl | title = Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia | years = 2021{{spaced ndash}}present }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Contee, Robert J.}}
Category:Chiefs of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Category:African-American police officers