Prince William County Police Department VALOROUS MERIT AWARD

OnMay 24, 2022, at 1837 hours, Officers were dispatched to a shooting in the area of Gatehouse Terrace involving a nineyear-old victim. Officer

Kulakowski was the first officer on scene and immediately made contact with the victim and her mother. At that time, he observed the victim was suffering from a gunshot wound to her abdomen. Officer Kulakowski began to calmly speak to both the victim and her mother. He then took over first aid and applied pressure to the wound as he waited for medics to respond.

Upon the arrival of medics on scene, Officer Kulakowski continued to tend to the victim and assisted medics in applying a chest seal and checking for additional injuries. Officer

Kulakowski also assisted medics in carrying the victim to a stretcher. Upon turning over the victim to medics, Officer Kulakowski did not hesitate and immediately began gathering information related to the crime.

Officer Kulakowski displayed a poise far beyond his years of service while responding to one of the most mentally and emotionally draining incidents an officer can respond to, a crime involving a child victim. Officer Kulakowski was not overwhelmed by the chaos of the scene or the gravity of the crime, he was both compassionate and empathetic during his interaction with the young victim and her mother. This rapport was critical to applying aid to the victim and gathering information about the shooting. Officer Kulakowski’s actions and his demeanor on scene are a credit to the Department and the community.