As the deputy director of the Montgomery County Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, Lt. Michael Mancuso is an increasingly busy man. In recent years, the county’s crime has taken on a more violent nature, and for Mancuso, that comes at a time when he’s pondering retirement. In his lengthy career, Mancuso has moved up through the ranks as he’s conquered investigations and played a role in solving others, including the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks.
It has been busy for police in Montgomery County. What’s going on?
In recent years, crimes have become more violent. We’re catching more repeat offenders. We recently had a homicide in Gaithersburg [the killing of Lindsay Harvey]. The man we arrested had only recently been let out of jail, where he was serving time for robberies that involved knocking people in their heads. We’re also seeing more gang members involved in violent crimes. The county is changing and we’re preparing for more crime to come our way.
How are you preparing?
We’re in the process of that. The county is going to have budget issues so we’re looking at measures that won’t increase costs. We’re going to have to put our resources in the right areas, which we’re already doing. … For example, the home invasions we had been investigating, we devoted extra resources and coordinated with other agencies.
What brought you to police work?
I’ve been a police officer for 30 years, 28 with Montgomery County. I’ve always been interested in the work, it sounded exciting. It gives me the opportunity to be out in the community, sort of my own boss.
What keeps you going?
It’s rewarding. I work closely with victims and their families and help provide the justice they deserve. I work closely with the cold case unit. We recently solved the 1982 murder of Wendy Stark using DNA evidence that we couldn’t assess back then. I worked on that case in ’82. … It’s rewarding to bring closure to families and bring justice.
