Police Officer of the Month

November 2002

Officer Bryce Buell was selected as Police Officer of the Month for November 2002. Officer Buell has demonstrated a consistent dedication to doing a thorough, professional job. He continually seeks out advice and training to improve his skills and consistently goes the extra mile to pursue leads and investigations. His perseverance has led to the closure of several cases that may otherwise have been inactivated. Several notable examples of his dedication are listed below:

In May, Officer Buell responded to the Safeway store in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center for a reported shoplifting. Two suspects had run from the store with miscellaneous items. Officer Buell was able to obtain a vehicle description and tag number, as well as the store’s surveillance photos capturing the suspects. After tracking down the vehicle’s owner, Officer Buell identified one of the suspects as the owner’s son and charged him with the crime.

In July, Officer Buell took on a detailed credit card fraud investigation. A victim reported that credit cards had been stolen from her vehicle at Lake Elkhorn. The thieves then made numerous purchases on the credit cards at various stores. Officer Buell went to those locations searching for any surveillance tapes and receipts detailing descriptions of the transactions. He learned that a Home Depot gift card had been purchased with a stolen credit card.

Officer Buell tracked the use of the gift card to a suspect in Prince George’s County. The suspect used a personal credit card to complete the gift card purchase. Investigation revealed that the suspect had a prior arrest in Howard County for stealing tools from a vehicle in another park. As a result of this information, Officer Buell applied for and obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s address.

Officer Buell coordinated with members of the Prince George’s County Special Operations Team in scheduling the execution of the warrant. When the warrant was served, it was discovered that the suspects had moved to another address. Officer Buell is currently working on this investigation and has applied for a third search warrant to locate additional evidence and stolen property.

Also in July, Howard County officers were involved in a vehicle pursuit with a stolen van that terminated in Baltimore City. The suspect was able to elude capture. Officer Buell utilized his relationship with an informant to identify a potential suspect. Officer Buell turned this information over to Auto Theft investigators who are following up on the lead.

In November, Officer Buell was on patrol and observed a suspicious vehicle in the area of Rt. 40 and St. John’s Lane. He quickly determined that the vehicle was stolen. When he attempted to stop the car, the driver fled and led officers on a vehicle pursuit. The driver lost control and attempted to elude officers on foot. Officer Buell was successful in apprehending the fleeing suspect.

Also in November, Officer Buell observed a subject standing on the side of the roadway urinating in plain view of the public. He approached the subject as he was getting into his vehicle and detected the odor of burnt marijuana. Both occupants of the vehicle were arrested, marijuana was recovered and over $1500 in cash was seized.

Officer Buell’s dedication and performance have been exemplary and he continues to be a valuable asset to the Howard County Police Department.