The D.C. Council unanimously confirmed Robert J. Contee III as the new chief of the Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday.
Mayor Muriel Bowser appointed Contee as acting chief in December to replace former Chief Peter Newsham, who accepted the top spot with the Prince William County Police Department.
Contee, a District native who grew up in the Carver Terrace section of Northeast, started with the D.C. police department in 1989 as a cadet and has risen through the ranks since then.
Bowser praised Contee as one who has knowledge of the city.
“He was born and raised here,” the mayor said, WTOP reported. “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 continue to engage the community.”
