THE VILLAGE

Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Courtesy MPD.

Police Chief Robert Contee on Crime Prevention, Security, Police Reform

BY CHRISTOPHER JONES

“A safe community is important in all the work we do and if people do not feel safe in their community, then we still have important work to do,” said Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, unanimously approved by the District Council on May 4 to be MPD’s 32nd chief.

The Georgetowner interviewed Contee on May 13 to discuss his top priorities, his thoughts on police reform and crime in Georgetown, the recent ransomware attack against MPD, the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

Since becoming acting and full-time police chief, the 48-year-old Contee has had to address a unique variety of challenges as he guides the D.C. police force during a tumultuous time in the nation’s capital.

Violent crime has been on the rise in the District since the start of the pandemic. The threat of domestic terrorism in the nation’s capital was heightened after Jan. 6, when he was on the job for four days. Contee has had to juggle critical priorities while reassuring the public that the MPD is capable of ensuring safety and security for District residents while also being capable of reform following the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality last year.

A native Washingtonian, the 48-year-old Contee grew up in the Carver-Langston neighborhood of northeast D.C., joined the MPD as a young cadet in 1989, rose swiftly through the ranks and was appointed Acting Chief by Mayor Muriel Bowser on Jan. 2, following the retirement of MPD Chief Peter Newsham.

Contee served more than one tour in Ward 2. “I have very fond memories of Georgetown,” he said, finding residents and businesses there “very supportive.” The area is fascinating, he added, with so many differing constituencies — from Georgetown University and the business community to the residents and homeowners. “Sometimes their likes and dislikes and needs don’t always align. So, you have to be very skilled at threading the needle over there properly.”

On April 1, the 20-member D.C. Police Reform Commission released its final report entitled “Decentering Police to Improve Public Safety,” calling on the D.C. Council to implement major shifts in the MPD’s budgeting, officer deployment, training and response policies in order to reduce policeinvolved violence.

Then, in late April, the MPD fell victim to a severe ransomware attack by Babuk, an extortionist firm with possible Russian ties. Soon, the firm began exposing the department’s top-secret electronic information, including officer personnel files, and highly sensitive information about police informants, witnesses, gang members, raw intelligence on threat information, and even the confidential daily briefings for the police chief.

We began our interview by asking Contee how it feels to become the head of the MPD after serving on the force for more than 30 years.

“It’s such an amazing honor for me,” Contee said. “I wish I could say, quite frankly, that it was a dream come true, but I was not a kid back in those days who dreamed I’d become the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. It is incredibly humbling and I’m just honored to be able to serve the citizens of the District of Columbia and the men and women of the [MPD]… It’s just been an amazing, amazing journey for a kid from northeast D.C.”

Now in his role as chief, Contee has three top priorities for the department. He wants to focus first and foremost on crime prevention in the District with a particular emphasis on stemming violent and gunrelated crimes. The MPD would be “laser focused” on those crimes that “really scare the heck out of people,” Contee said.

Second, he’ll prioritize enhancing the MPD’s community engagement to meet the needs of all the various types of constituencies in the District. “I want our relationships as police officers in communities to be beyond transactional,” he said, “and to be ones where we’re taking time out and engaging residents and citizens where they are in communities. That’s really important to me.”

Third, he will focus on the mental health of police officers, especially after the traumatizing events of Jan. 6. Indeed, MPD announced June 8 the hiring of Diana Karczmarczyk as the Director of Employee Well-Being Support.

After the ransomware attack against the MPD’s sensitive information, Contee has taken steps to reassure the public that the situation is under control. “Once the breach was identified, we worked with our technology partners and the FBI to make sure the gap was closed and the vulnerability was taken care of,” Contee said. “I’d like the public to know that as we work with our federal partners, we are as secure as we can possibly be, based upon the vulnerabilities we know are out there.” The attack was “unfortunate,” he said, “but, it could have been a lot worse.” After the attack, Contee helped MPD officers secure their data and expressed sympathy for their struggles. “We have a lot of personnel information for our officers being leaked out there on the dark web,” Contee said. “I mean, they’re already dealing with a lot of adversity in terms of the day-to-day things they have to deal with, but to have your personal information out there, that’s really impactful to our members.”

Following the assault on the U.S. Capitol, MPD has continued to coordinate with the U.S. Capitol Police and federal agencies, such as the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, to monitor domestic terror threats in the District.

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Cynthia Pepper Reed, Noted Interior Designer and Georgetown Shop Owner (1948-2021)

BY THE GEORGETOWNER

Cynthia Pepper Reed died peacefully surrounded by family and friends on May 13, after a valiant fight against cancer.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia on June 7, 1948 to Virginia “Jennie” Pepper Reed and William “Bill” Marcus Reed, she was raised in Smyrna, Georgia and Vinings, Georgia. She graduated from The Lovett School in Atlanta in 1966. She attended the University of Georgia, where she was a member of Tri Delta Sorority and majored in Interior Design.

Upon graduation in 1970, she accepted a position in Washington, D.C, as in-house interior designer for the department store chain Woodward & Lothrop. During her several years at “Woodies” she developed a loyal following of clients, most of whom became friends, and then branched out and opened her own firm of Cynthia P. Reed, Ltd. in Georgetown, where she operated for decades.

Her award-winning work won her national and international recognition in magazines like Architectural Digest and Southern Living. Her client base included elite Washingtonians in politics and the arts. She did work for clients all over the world, including New York, Miami, Paris, London, China and Bahrain.

She moved her operations to Coral Gables, Florida, in the early 2000s where she also owned an art gallery. She split her time between Florida and D.C., keeping residences in both locations. She also owned a home in Atlanta during this time, but her clients and friends in D.C., prevailed upon her to move back to D.C as her permanent home.

Even through her final illness, she continued to work right up to the end, finishing her last major project in West Palm Beach, Florida and moving back permanently to D.C. a few weeks before her death.

Called Cyn by her close friends, and Aunt Cyn by her nieces and nephews, she was preceded in death by both her mother and father. She is survived by her brother, Bruce Reed, his wife Katherine, and his two daughters, Laura Reed Thompson (Cecil Thompson), and Paula Reed Yancey (Chas); her brother Mark Reed, his wife Michelle, and their two sons, Lew Reed, and Bill Reed (Christa), and their daughter Henley Reed, her great niece.

Cyn had no children of her own but made it clear that her nieces and nephews were her de facto children, whom she loved completely. The family will be holding private services in her memory. She will be cremated and her ashes will be handled as per her private wishes.