Ashan M. Benedict, executive assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, will be the city’s new interim police chief, stepping into the role after Robert J. Contee III announced he was stepping down as chief last month. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the appointment Friday morning following the launch of a nationwide search that began in late April.

Benedict confirmed that he is not expected to be in the role long-term, and candidate interviews for a more permanent successor for Contee are expected to start soon. Speaking on The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi Friday, Bowser said she has been reviewing a first round of applicants and that there are “some very good people” interested in leading the department.

“We’re not going to rush that decision, but at the same time I’d like to have a permanent chief as soon as possible. We have a lot of interest in the position,” Bowser told reporters Friday. She added that while the chief doesn’t have to be from D.C., “you need to know it damned well.”

Before joining MPD, Benedict held several major roles at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), where he began his career in 1998. He was the on-scene Incident Commander for ATF at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 and was part of the investigations following the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon, the 2013 mass shooting in Navy Yard, and the mass mailing of pipe bombs in New York City in 2018.

“It’s a seamless transition,” Contee said. “The mayor has made an excellent choice to ensure that operations, the focus on community, continues.”

Contee is taking on a high-level position at the FBI as assistant director of the office of partner engagement. Contee became chief in 2021, and previously served the department for three decades. The announcement of his departure last month took some city leaders by surprise. His last day as police chief will be June 3.

“We’re very proud of Chief Contee and his service to MPD — starting out as a cadet at age 17,” Bowser said on The Politics Hour Friday. “Chief Contee recruited Ashan Benedict to come in to serve as his number two…he’s done so with distinction and he has raised his hand and stood up and is willing to serve in an interim position while I complete our search.”

Benedict will be taking on a police department that has been grappling with rising gun violence and homicides since before Contee’s tenure as chief. This year, homicides are up by 9% from this time last year, making the first four months of 2023 the deadliest first four months of any year in the last decade.

Benedict will also be MPD’s fourth police chief in seven years. When asked on The Politics Hour why the District is having trouble retaining police chiefs, Bowser said she “wouldn’t regard us having trouble,” noting that Cathy Lanier served for nearly a decade before departing in 2016. Across the country, police chiefs have been departing at higher rates than in previous years.

“I do think it bears noting that we have to be very, very focused on the policy environment in our city and nationally for policing. Policing is a tough job,” Bowser said. “It’s a job that’s only gotten tougher.”

This story has been updated with quotes from Mayor Muriel Bowser and outgoing Police Chief Robert Contee.