Maurice J. Cullinane (November 29, 1932 – March 2, 2023) was the
chief of police
A chief of police (COP) is the title given to an appointed official or an elected one in the command hierarchy, chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or somet ...
in Washington, D.C., from December 1974 to January 1978. He was captured in a 1958
Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph titled ''
Faith and Confidence
''Faith and Confidence'' is a Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph of two-year-old Allan Weaver asking police officer Maurice Cullinane a question. The 1957 image was captured by photographer William C. Beall in Washington, D.C.
Beall was the c ...
''.
Early life
On November 29, 1932, Cullinane was born in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
In 1950 he graduated from
Calvin Coolidge High School.
After graduating high school, in 1951 he joined the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
and served until 1953.
Career

In 1954 Cullinane became a police officer in the
Washington Metropolitan Police Department. His nickname was "Cully".
In 1957 while working a parade in
Chinatown, Washington, D.C., Cullinane was captured in a photograph which showed him speaking to a small child who was in the street.
The photograph by
William C. Beall of ''
The Washington Daily News
''The Washington Daily News'' (1921–1972) was an afternoon tabloid-size newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and published daily except Sundays.
History
''The Washington Daily News'' was owned by the E. W. Scripps Comp ...
'' newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 1958.
Cullinane was a police lieutenant during the
1968 Washington, D.C., riots. During the riots there was significant property damage and 13 deaths. Only two fatalities were attributed to Washington, D.C., police officer actions. In 2018 Cullinane said,
For that I was proud of my department. They were not going to kill somebody to save a window from getting broken or to save a liquor store.
In 1973 Cullinane was promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief of Police, and he became the
Chief of Police
A chief of police (COP) is the title given to an appointed official or an elected one in the command hierarchy, chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or somet ...
in 1974.
In 1977 he negotiated an end to a crisis where
Hanafi Muslims held more than 100 people hostage.
Cullinane's retirement as a police officer in 1978 was for a job-related disability. While working a demonstration against the Vietnam War in 1968 he had an injury to his knee and he was eligible to retire and collect US$31,000 a year for the remainder of his life.
After his 1978 retirement from the police department, Cullinane became the Chairman of the Committee to promote Washington.
He earned his bachelor's degree from
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
in 1977 while he was still the chief of police.
Personal life
Cullinane married Carole West in 1956 and they had three daughters: Patricia, Debra, and Joanne. Their daughter Patricia Carr said her father died from complications after a stroke. He had been at a Bethesda, Maryland hospital and died March 2, 2023.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullinane, Maurice
1932 births
2023 deaths
Chiefs of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia officers