Maurice J. Cullinane (November 29, 1932 – March 2, 2023) was the chief of police in Washington, D.C., from December 1974 to January 1978.

On November 29, 1932, Cullinane was born in Washington, D.C.[1] In 1950 he graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School.

[2] 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.

[1] The photograph by William C. Beall of The Washington Daily News newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 1958.

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.