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.