The police chief in Washington, D.C., is retiring from his post later this summer and join the FBI.
The last day for Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III will be June 3, WTHR-TV reports. His new job will be as the FBI's new assistant director of the Office of Partner Engagement.
“It has been my greatest honor to serve as your chief of police,” Contee said in a brief video.
Contee had been with the department for over three decades, joining the police cadet program as a 17-year-old high school student in 1989. He began serving as interim chief in January 2021, days before the Jan. 6 insurrection and was named permanent chief in May of that year.
"Since his first week on the job, and over the past 33 years, he has been making Washington, DC incredibly proud," Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.
The position with the FBI became a possibility earlier this year, said Contee. He made the job move not only for professional reasons, but also to inspire a younger generation.
“This is a move I have decided to make for Robert Contee," he said. "I have decided to make this move, in addition to it being for Robert Contee, to inspire young people all across our city. A kid from Carver Terrace to rise up to be the chief of police and now an assistant director of the FBI, that's going to inspire some kids. Ask me how I know."
A national search will be conducted to find Contee's successor.
