When Chief Newsham’s upcoming retirement was announced last month, several D.C. Council members stressed that the next police chief must be someone who can fight racism and restore the public’s trust in its officers.
Chief Contee’s appointment must be approved by city lawmakers. Council member Charles Allen, chairman of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, said the vetting process will be announced in the new year, adding that “the public will play an important role and the committee will create several ways for input to be heard.”
The Ward 6 Democrat also reiterated statements he had made about the qualities the next police chief should have, including being “prepared to tackle systemic racism in the District” and taking “a public health approach to eliminating violence.”
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Mayor
Muriel Bowser ignored calls for community engagement and a national search for D.C.’s next top cop, and instead opted to promote a career Metropolitan Police Department official,
Robert Contee III. Contee is currently the assistant chief of the investigative services bureau and started his career as a cadet with MPD when he was 17. He will replace Chief
Peter Newsham, also a career MPD officer, who took a job as the chief in Prince William County, Virginia.