Cerritos College Police Chief Richard “Buk'' Bukowiecki Takes Own Life in Local Motel

The three women shown from left above–Cerritos College's dean of Disabled Student Programs & Services, interim vice president of Academic Affairs (now at Long Beach City College) and instructional dean, Business Education respectively–helped bestow the Outstanding Classified Manager of 2012 award to campus Police Chief Richard “Buk” Bukowiecki.

Early Monday, the Huntington Beach resident was found dead from a gunshot wound in a Westminster motel room in what the county coroner has deemed a suicide.

]

“We do not know and may not ever know the reason'' for Bukowiecki taking his own life, Cerritos College President Linda Lacy reportedly said.

The 47-year-old's body was found around 3:30 a.m. Monday in the room at the Super 8, 15559 Beach Blvd., Westminster, authorities said.

Bukowiecki started as a part-time dispatcher with the Cerritos College police department in 1988. He was described as “an inspiration” to the campus community when he received that award in 2012, Cerritos College's online Campus Connection reported at the time.

“Chief Bukowiecki consistently works over 50 hours per week,” read the piece, “sacrificing much for the department selflessly in many ways, spending time away from his family and his personal life to ensure the department runs smoothly and to meet or exceed the needs of the college.”

Perhaps that paragraph holds a key to the mystery Lacy mentioned.

Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *