Property Crimes Section

The Property Crimes Section is comprised of detectives assigned to investigate cases of burglary, theft, arson and pawn shop activity.

The Fire Investigations Unit within the Property Crimes Section was created in 2001 as a joint effort between the police department and the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. The unit is comprised of two teams, each comprised of one detective from the police department and one investigator from the fire department. The detectives are special deputies with the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The clearance rate for the Fire Investigations Unit is impressive: last year, 14 percent of all arsons were cleared by arrest or exceptional means; 33 percent of all malicious burnings were cleared by arrest; and 50 percent of all cases involving explosive/incendiary devices were cleared by arrest. The national average for clearance of these typically un-witnessed crimes is only about 7 percent.