Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Appoints Terrence Benn as New Acting Police Chief

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today appointed Terrence Benn as Howard County Police Department’s (HCPD) new Acting Chief. Acting Chief Benn assumes the role following the retirement of former Police Gregory Der. Photos from today’s announcement can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website and video on the County Executive’s Facebook page.

Acting Chief Benn began his career as a police officer in Baltimore City and Atlanta, served his country in the United States Marine Corps, and has spent nearly 20 years building his career with HCPD. Throughout the past two decades, he has risen through the ranks to serve in command positions across all four commands of HCPD. Most recently, he served as Deputy Chief for Special Operations, overseeing both the department’s Special Operations Bureau and the Community Services Bureau.

As Acting Chief, Benn plans to launch his Strategic Plan, comprised of operational priorities, programmatic initiatives, and enforcement strategies all designed to strengthen public safety, community trust, and departmental effectiveness. Acting Chief Benn’s Strategic Plan is organized around 10 core focus areas:

• Technology and Innovation
• Gang Activity Reduction
• Narcotics Enforcement
• Community Outreach and Relationship Building
• Youth Engagement and Crime Prevention
• Cold Case Review
• Route 1 Corridor Safety Initiative
• Recruitment, Promotion, and Workforce Development
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Protocol
• Crime Analysis and Data-Driven Deployment

In addition, Ball also announced the appointment Antonio Thomas as Acting Colonel following the retirement of Colonel Gary McLhinney. Acting Colonel Thomas has served HCPD for 20 years, most recently as captain, and taken on particularly challenging roles including overseeing the department’s Professional Standards, Information Technology, and Quality Assurance.

“I am honored to step into this role as Colonel alongside Acting Chief Benn, and I am grateful for the confidence placed in me by the leadership of this department and this county. I am proud of what this department has built in my 20 years here and I look forward to continuing to serve with every officer and civilian in this agency. Along with Acting Chief Benn, I will advocate at every level for what I consider the foundations of this department: staffing and resources. Our officers deserve to go into the field fully prepared, and that will remain a priority under this leadership,” said Acting Colonel Thomas.

“Community is strongest when public safety reflects collaboration, respect, and a willingness to listen. The Howard County Police Department has shown decades of dedicated service through their unwavering commitment to its mission: protecting life and property, reducing opportunities for crime and disorder, enforcing the law with fairness, assisting victims, and serving the public in a manner consistent with the values of a free society," said Chair Jones. "We are fortunate to have leaders prepared to serve and guide this department forward while honoring the department’s values and traditions,” said Opel Jones, Howard County Council Chairperson. “To our newly appointed Acting Chief and Acting Colonel of the Howard County Police Department, we welcome your leadership, continued partnership, and steadfast vision to ensure that Howard County remains one of the safest counties in America.”

Since taking office in December 2018, Ball’s administration’s unrelenting commitment to the county’s residents, businesses, and visitors has expanded HCPD’s capabilities and its investment in keeping Howard County safe. In fact, in 2025 alone, Howard County saw reduction in violent crime by 28 percent and property crimes were down by nearly 7 percent. The crime rate in Howard County has also remained far below the statewide average, year after year.

In January 2019, Ball named retired HCPD Captain Lisa Myers as the department’s 13th Chief of Police. A 27-year veteran of the department, Myers served as the department’s first African-American and first woman Chief of Police in Howard County, and one of the first in the state. During her tenure, Chief Myers oversaw reductions in the total number of violent crimes and property crimes in the county. She also took on several other challenges, including: addressing emerging national issues around police-community relations, racial equity and appropriate use of force, and approving programs; prioritizing technology by implementing a drone program, partnering with the Howard County Public School System to add exterior enforcement cameras to school buses, adding Next Generation 911 to the County's 911 dispatch center, and launching the department’s Body Worn Camera Program; and managing HCPD's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2020, Ball announced HCPD, in partnership with HopeWorks of Howard County, and the County’s Department of Community Resources and Services were the recipients of a human trafficking grand award from the U.S. Department of Justice and its Office for Victims of Crime programs. To be dispersed over a three-year period, the more than $1 million grant assists state and local jurisdictions nationwide prevent human trafficking and to expand support for survivors by enhancing law enforcement capacity and strengthening resources for individuals and families negatively impacted by trafficking.

In continuation of his efforts to ensure a safe and engaged community, Ball pre-filed legislation in October 2021 to establish a Police Accountability Board. Four months later, Ball signed legislation establishing Howard County’s Police Accountability Board, calling the measure an important step toward building trust and creating stronger ties between HCPD and the community. The Board is tasked with reviewing the outcomes of complaint investigations to determine discipline, identifying trends that could improve policing, and accepting and forwarding complaints from community members for investigation by HCPD and the Howard County Sheriff's Office.

Following Chief Myers retirement announcement in early November 2021, Ball announced his appointment of Gregory J. Der as Howard County’s 14th Chief of Police later that month. A 19-year veteran of the department, Der was the first person of Asian descent to lead HCPD. After four-and-a-half years in the position, Der announced his retirement from the department this past April. During his time as Chief of Police, Der and Ball together made significant strides in strengthening public safety, improving transparency, and expanding services to the community, including:

• Historic public safety funding in Ball’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget, including an $11 million increase for HCPD (the largest increase in a decade), which included $3.7 million to support 24 additional patrol positions.
• Innovative recruitment strategies, including a newly implemented FastTrack Hiring Process and SMS marketing campaign.
• More than doubling the number of Taser devices assigned to officers and mandating all new recruits be trained and equipped with Tasers upon academy graduation. Since 2023, the department has added more than 200 additional Tasers to its force.
• Established a permanent, full-time unit of officers assigned to the Columbia area from HCPD’s Community Outreach & Pathways Section, including the Merriweather District, The Mall in Columbia, and the Columbia Lakefront, as well as a new police satellite office at Green Valley Marketplace in Elkridge.
• Expansion of HCPD’s Traffic Management Division, which has since a 57 percent decrease in traffic fatalities since 2022 and a 85 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities since 2023.
• Indictment of several individuals from the “59 Hoover” criminal gang in 2022.
• Launched four innovative online dashboards providing the public with regularly updated information about crime reports, traffic stops, complaints against officers, and use-of-force incidents.
• Enhanced HCPD’s Crime Analysis Division to enable HCPD to better identify crime trends and allocate resources more efficiently.

Moreover, since becoming County Executive, Ball has made it a top public safety priority to solve cold cases in Howard County, expanding HCPD’s Cold Case Unit, investing in forensic technology, and raising rewards for information. These efforts have led HCPD to solving several cold cases during Ball’s tenure, including the 1982 kidnapping, rape, and killing of Laney Lee McGadney, the 1975 homicide of Roseann Sturtz, and the identification of the Jane Doe victim from HCPD’s oldest cold case homicide.

Here’s what others had to say:

• Gregory Der, Former HCPD Chief of Police – “When I promoted Terrence Benn in 2023 to the rank of Major and to serve as my Deputy Chief, I was confident that he had the experience and temperament to take on this leadership role in the department. Having worked closely with him the last three years, it is clear that he is the right choice to become Acting Chief. He has established himself as a leader in the department and has built and maintained close relationships with the community here in Howard County. I know he will continue to build upon all the advances we’ve made as a department since I began as Chief four and a half years ago, and I wish him the best of luck.
• Sergeant Jim Daly, President, Howard County Supervisors Alliance – “The Howard County Police Supervisors’ Alliance congratulates Terrence Benn on his appointment as Acting Chief of Police of the Howard County Police Department. We appreciate Chief Benn’s recognition that ‘partnership matters,’ and we look forward to working collaboratively to support our officers, strengthen public safety, and continue serving our community with professionalism and integrity.”
• Jamie Flynn, President, Howard County Police Officers’ Association, FOP Lodge 21 – “On behalf of the Howard County Police Officers’ Association, FOP Lodge 21, we look forward to working with the leadership team as they guide the department during this transition and continue supporting the officers and community they serve.”
• Lisa Myers, Former HCPD Chief of Police – “Another great day in the history of the Howard County Police Department! It is an honor to support Deputy Chief Benn as he ascends into the role of Acting Chief of Police. He is an innovative leader who brings vast police experience and a wealth of established community relationships. His commitment to fairness, transparency, and collaboration will continue to promote safety, trust, and unity. I look forward to seeing the positive impact he will have on the Howard County community.”
• Lieutenant Desmond Tubman, President, Centurions for Justice – “Centurions for Justice (CFJ) would like to congratulate Major Terrence Benn on his appointment as Acting Chief. Major Benn is a proven leader with a wealth of experience as an administrator, mentor, and colleague. Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and a strong commitment to both the department and the community he serves. Major Benn is also a current member of CFJ and previously served as its President, demonstrating outstanding leadership and dedication to both the membership and the profession. CFJ is confident that Acting Chief Benn will continue the significant progress achieved under the administration of Dr. Ball while moving the police department forward through the challenges of these evolving times. We wish him continued success in this new leadership role.”
• Vernon Curry, Chair, African American Community Roundtable – “Major Terrence Benn has been actively engaged with the community, including working with the African-American Community Roundtable in our mission to improve the overall quality of life for African Americans throughout Howard County. We congratulate him and look forward to continuing our work together as he assumes his new role of Acting Chief for the Howard County Police Department. While we have made significant progress under the leadership of Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, there is still work to be done and we believe our partnership with Major Benn will help ensure we continue moving forward as a safer, more united community for all.”