D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III is retiring and taking a high-level job with the FBI, leaving a department he has served for more than three decades as it continues to struggle with a spike in certain violent crimes and staffing challenges.

The news of Contee’s departure was first reported by WUSA 9 reporter Lorenzo Hall, and independently confirmed by DCist/WAMU. It comes ahead of a planned Thursday press conference with Mayor Muriel Bowser, where she was expected to discuss “a focused and community-centered approach to public safety.”

In a video he released Thursday evening, Contee told fellow members of the department that he has been appointed as the assistant director of the office of partner engagement, “where my responsibility will be to ensure that the FBI is fully supporting local and state and federal agencies all across our nation.” The FBI declined to comment on Contee’s new role. His last day with MPD will be June 3.

The news caught some city leaders by surprise; D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in a statement he was “shocked” to hear of Contee’s retirement. In a statement issued after the news broke, Bowser celebrated Contee’s time as a police officer and leader of the Metropolitan Police Department.

“On behalf of our city, I want to congratulate Chief Contee on his retirement and thank him for his service to D.C. — for leading MPD with passion and purpose,” the mayor wrote. “He has pushed our criminal justice system to do more and be better. He has led MPD through an incredibly challenging time for our country — from the pandemic to January 6th and navigating the effects of a shrinking department during a time when gun violence is exploding across the nation. He has been a phenomenal ambassador of what it means to be a police officer in D.C. – brilliant, compassionate, and determined to build a D.C. where all people feel safe and are safe.”

Contee, who grew up in Northeast D.C., joined MPD in 1989 as a 17-year-old cadet and rose through the ranks to Second District Commander, assistant chief, and, starting in Jan. 2021, chief of police. He famously took the helm of the department only days before the Jan. 6 insurrection, where hundreds of D.C. police officers fought to clear the U.S. Capitol.

Bowser picked him to replace his predecessor Peter Newsham, who left to head the Prince William County Police Department. Contee took over during a challenging time for the department — in the middle of a pandemic, after a summer of sustained protests over police violence and racial justice, and amid rising murders.

Intense debates over policing continued throughout his tenure; he often sparred with the D.C. Council over questions of police funding and staffing. Recently he has raised concerns about the current number of officers in the department. MPD currently has 3,362 officers on the force, almost 500 fewer than in 2020. Many cities have faced similar staffing challenges; D.C. has started offering hiring bonuses approaching $25,000 to attract and retain officers.

Contee also led the department during a time of increased homicides: In 2021, 227 people were murdered in the District – the most of any year since 2003. In 2022, the District saw a slight decrease in homicides and the overall violent crime rate, but that has reversed course so far this year. Speaking to Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners earlier this year, Contee said that he’s seen an increase in guns flowing into the city — and more young people being involved in violent offenses.

“What I’m starting to see… our babies are starting to show up different. Our children… their first offense is for a violent crime with a gun,” he said. “Time and time again, I’m standing over kids. I’m getting out of my bed and leaving my kids to stand over a [dead] kid… and he’s got a gun.”

Contee was well-respected by many city officials and civic leaders, as well as by some members of the force — upon his nomination, the DC Police Union tweeted that there was “no one more apt to fill the position.”

In his video announcing his decision, Conte said: “I will tell you that it has been my greatest honor to serve as your chief of police since January 2, 2021.”

But his tenure was not without criticism. A number of high-profile police shootings happened while he was chief, and reporting from Reveal and DCist/WAMU showed that during his time at the top ranks of the department he had blocked efforts to fire a number of officers who had broken the law.

It remains unclear who Bowser will choose to succeed Contee while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement, but she sounded a note of confidence in her statement announcing his departure.

“We know that the Chief has a motto: Excellence is transferable,” she said. “And we know he will leave behind a team of leaders and officers ready to continue serving D.C. at the highest levels.”

In his statement, Mendelson said that the council would work with Bowser to find a replacement for Contee. “I am hopeful that the Mayor will take this opportunity to find a leader who is willing to try new approaches to law enforcement and new strategies to fight violent crime,” he said.

Reached Wednesday evening, Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who chairs the D.C. Council committee that oversees the police department, said she was “very grateful for [Contee’s] amazing service to the city.”

“His experience in D.C. gave him a very helpful perspective in leading the department, and he was very data-driven and was always steeped in the best research … but also never lost the human component of what crime means for victims, what it means for neighborhoods, and what the police can be doing as a partner in our city as one of the pieces of our public safety toolkit,” Pinto added. “And I always just appreciated his approach to very complicated issues.”

This story has been updated to include comments the outgoing police chief posted in a video Thursday evening.