Community Outreach
The Howard County Police Department operates under the community policing model where the community is a partner with the police department in the process to fight crime. Community policing uses community partnerships along with problem-solving strategies in order to make Howard County a safe place to live and work. Through these partnerships, Howard County aims to build trust with the community, so it can feel supported and protected, while feeling comfortable coming forward with information about what is going on in your own communities in an effort to solve the problems together.
Community Outreach Division
The Community Outreach Division offers crime prevention and education programs to citizens and businesses and works with individual communities to solve issues as they arise. The division provides focused efforts and assistance to senior, youth, multicultural and Asian populations as well as general community groups.
In-person requests are being accepted on a case-by-case basis. To request an in-person or video meeting/presentation, fill out a request form below.
Call 410-313-2207 or email HCPDOutreach@howardcountymd.gov with questions.
Community Liaison Officers develop community programs and presentations and address neighborhood concerns for senior and multicultural populations, as well as for communities who do not have an otherwise designated Community Outreach and Pathways Officer.
Call 410-313-2207 or email HCPDOutreach@howardcountymd.gov with questions.
Community Liaison Section
Sgt. Aaron Miller, amiller@howardcountymd.gov
Cpl. Kyu Lee, kylee@howardcountymd.gov
PFC Jeremy Zhou, yzhou@howardcountymd.gov
PFC Steven Mitzel, smitzel@howardcountymd.gov
Community Outreach and Pathway Section (COPS) officers are embedded in specific communities, developing relationships with the neighborhood residents, businesses, and faith organizations, and addressing neighborhood concerns. These officers are a great resource for community issues and can often help guide residents to a resolution.
COPS also patrols the 190+ miles of pathways and trails in Howard County on mountain bikes, electric motorcycles and Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTV). This section provides a year-round, highly-visible police presence on pathways and in residential areas. The team works to deter crime, address quality-of-life issues and allows officers to interact more directly with community members. Officers are able to maneuver in areas not easily reached by police cruisers or that are too large to cover by foot.
Call 410-313-2207 or email HCPDOutreach@howardcountymd.gov with questions.
Community Outreach and Pathway Section
Sgt. Toby Fulton
Cpl. James Morrison
Cpl. Andrew Saffran
PFC Matthew Paul
PFC Elijah Cortez
PFC Lukas Ely
PFC Eric England
PFC Benjamin Fisher
PFC Cory Frock
PFC Lucas Miller
PFC Sean Pepper
Mental health has been at the forefront of law enforcement concerns for many years, with increased emphasis over the last few as school shootings, mass casualty incidents, officer-involved shootings, and officer and civilian injuries involving a person with mental illness have plagued the news media. One in four people live with mental illness, and one in 17 live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.
Click here for more information on HCPD's focus on mental health.
Section Supervisor
Sgt. Tambra Weigman, tweigman@howardcountymd.gov
Crisis Intervention Team
PFC Jeremy Holroyd, jholroyd@howardcountymd.gov
PO Bennett Johns, Bjohns@howardcountymd.gov
Genevieve Laporte, 410-313-6017, glaporte@howardcountymd.gov
Additional Resources
The department works closely with a number of diverse community organizations to ensure the needs of all Howard County residents are met. The Community Outreach Division serves as point of contact for those of different cultures, abilities, and the LBGTQ+ community to help address specific concerns.
HCPD has formal partnerships with the:
- African American Community Roundtable of Howard County
- Luminus Center for New Americans
- Korean Society of Maryland
- PFLAG Columbia-Howard County
Informal partnerships include, but are not limited to the:
- Autism Society of Maryland
- Howard County Muslim Council
- HC DrugFree
- Grassroots Crisis Intervention
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, Howard County
- Rebuilding Together Howard County
- Local community churches
- Local village boards
For more information, email HCPDOutreach@howardcountymd.gov.
The Howard County Police Department wants you to be prepared in the event of an active shooter incident in your house of worship, workplace or any public environment. These situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Because active shooter situations are often over within a few minutes, even before law enforcement can arrive on the scene, individuals must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with this kind of emergency. YOU are your own first-responder. Be prepared. Be smart. Be safe. Use the following information to learn more about the best ways to protect yourself and others.
- RUN: Get away as fast as you can.
- HIDE: If you can’t get away, learn the best ways to conceal and protect yourself.
- FIGHT: If you are confronted and have no other options, fight for your life as your last resort.
Additional resources
- Checklist: Being prepared for an active shooter or other emergency
- U.S. Homeland Security's Active Shooter Preparedness Program
- U.S. Homeland Security's Active Shooter pocket card
- FEMA's How to prepare for and respond during and after an active shooter incident
- CISA's Protecting Houses of Worship Resources
- U.S. Homeland Security's Protecting Houses of Worship video
A home or business security survey from Howard County police can provide you, your family or employees and your valuables with an appropriate level of protection to reduce the odds of burglary and theft. The survey is simple, free and can be scheduled at your convenience. Officers perform a detailed security analysis of your home or business and provide you with a list of recommendations.
Call 410-313-2207 or email HCPDOutreach@howardcountymd.gov with questions.