HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — Gun violence in and around the Mall in Columbia, including deadly shootings, prompted Howard County police to announce plans for a satellite office inside the mall as part of a broader crime reduction strategy.
More than a year after that announcement, the office has not yet opened, leaving some residents and shoppers watching and waiting for the promised safety measure.
Police announced the satellite office in April last year, saying it was intended to “combat crime and enhance community safety.” At the time, police said the office would open “in the coming months.” The office is expected to be located in a mall storefront near Nordstrom and across from Books-A-Million.
Some shoppers said they support the idea and want to see it move forward.
“I think it’s a good thing you have to respond to what’s happening,” one woman said.
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Another shopper said, “Well, you’d like to think government is responsive and that they can mobilize rapidly to keep people safer……”
Others said they were not overly worried about the delay, citing what they described as an increased police presence.
“I’m not really concerned because they’ve had more of a presence here since then. So to me it’s the step wise to put in an office here. So they haven’t ignored it. It’s just taken longer,” said Gloria Upshur, a shopper.
Rachel Laureno, another shopper, questioned why it has taken so long.
“I mean, I don’t know why there was such a long delay, because typically there’s space that could be probably changed from a retail store to a precinct, so hopefully they could get it going,” Laureno said.
A Howard County police spokesman declined a request for an interview, saying in an email: “A ribbon cutting and media event will be in the near future.”
The planned mall office is part of what Howard County police have described as a multifaceted crime reduction plan announced in February last year, shortly after a double shooting outside the mall left two teens dead.
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The plan also followed a deadly shooting inside the mall months earlier. On July 22, 2024, 17-year-old Angelo Little was shot and killed in the mall food court in what police called a targeted shooting.
Police said the suspect, 17-year-old William Thomas Marshall III, was arrested and charged in the killing. He’s expected to be sentenced next week.
After that shooting, Little’s mother, Charell Wilson, spoke through tears.
“I shouldn’t be heartbroken like this. No mother should have to bury their child. Your children are supposed to bury you. Because everybody has a beginning date and an end date. I’m not supposed to be here burying my child, at all,” Wilson said.
Now, concern from some shoppers about the delayed police office, some said they did not know what was holding it up but hoped it would open soon.
“Well, you know, it’s unfortunately, I don’t know all the details. I don’t know if it was a budgetary concern. You know, there could be many factors involved. I I don’t know. But hopefully, uh, something will happen soon,” said Joe Lott, a shopper.
According to our media partners at the The Baltimore Sun, a Howard County police spokesman said the satellite office will open “by the end of June at the latest.”
Follow FOX45 reporter Keith Daniels on X and Facebook. Send tips to Kdaniels@sbgtv.com.
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