More Even then, everyone knew the young Contee was destined for great things. But the student voted most dependable, most intellectual and most likely to succeed knew he’d have to leave the trappings of his neighborhood to live up to those predictions. So, he signed up to become a police cadet in 1989 while he was a senior at Spingarn High School. “It provided a financial opportunity as a young man growing up in this neighborhood in Carver Terrace," the acting police chief said. "I wanted a change of scenery." Stepping out of a police cruiser, something familiar drew Contee's eye. A memorial, with teddy bears, for someone whose life story came to an abrupt end was set up outside an apartment building.