George Kucik, Retired MPD Commander/Deputy Chief
 

After 26 years of service, George Kucik retired from the Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia, (MPD) as the Commander/Deputy Chief, Criminal Investigations Division.

 

Commander Kucik spent the majority of his career assigned to investigative units.  As a line supervisor, he spent seven years investigating homicides, sexual assaults, other felony assaults and property crimes. He also investigated numerous high profile police involved shootings.   In addition, he was assigned to the Forensic Science Division where he oversaw the collection and processing of all evidence.

 

In 2008, he was promoted to Commander/Deputy Chief.  As a command official he was  in charge of the Third District station, the Forensic Science Division, and the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) where he spent his last 3 ½ years. In his final position he oversaw approximately 300 detectives and supervisors charged with investigating all crimes, to include, homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, other violent crimes and property crimes.

 

Commander Kucik drafted Standard Operating Procedure manuals for both homicide and sexual assault investigations in order to conform to current best practices.

 

During his tenure as CID Commander, the Department’s Uniform Crime Reporting closure rate for homicides was 82% as compared to the national average of 54% for cities of similar size. Commander Kucik also maintained oversight responsibility for many large-scale investigations, including the Washington Navy Yard shooting in September, 2013.

 

Pursuant to the Sexual Assault Victim’s Rights Amendment Act of 2014, Independent Expert Consultant Elisabeth Olds conducted an audit of the Department’s Sexual Assault Unit. Ms. Olds concluded that the Department’s policies and protocol for sexual assault investigations instituted by Commander Kucik “go beyond best practices.”

 

 

In addition to conducting criminal investigations, Commander Kucik personally handled several hundred internal administrative investigations.  These included allegations of misconduct by subordinates as well as use-of-force investigations.  He was also a member of the Department’s Use-of-Force Review Board.

 

Since retiring from the Department, Commander Kucik has conducted training for detectives in the area of “cognitive interviewing.”  In addition, he has contracted with the Police Executive Research Forum as a subject matter expert for their Improving Homicide Investigations Technical Assistance Project.     

 

Commander Kucik is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.