Police Ramp Up Patrols on Route 1
In wake of robberies and complaints, police said units have increased presence in Elkridge.
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Howard County police say that crime spikes periodically, such as a string of burglaries that hit Elkridge last weekend.
A suspect has been charged with armed robbery in connection with a 7-Eleven hold-up on Montgomery Road in Ellicott City that occurred Feb. 19. Police are investigating whether two Elkridge robberies—the CVS and 7-Eleven on Old Waterloo Road, which were held up in a similar fashion on Feb. 18—are related.
“I can take any period of time and show you spikes,” said Major Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department, in a phone interview.
In December, before the Waterloo area robberies of the 7-Elevens and the CVS, Gardner told Patch: “We’ve had I think about seven [commercial robberies] since Oct. 29—largely Elkridge Liquors and some gas stations.”
Elkridge Liquors was robbed three times between August and November, and after the latest incident—on Nov. 6—police released a photo of the suspect and offered a $1,000 reward for information. Those cases remain under investigation.
“There has not been an arrest in the case,” said Elizabeth Schroen, HCPD spokeswoman.
The owners of the store were unavailable for comment.
Following the robberies, police said they have deployed more units on Route 1 in Elkridge for patrols.
In addition, an officer is now on what is called a "linear post," patrolling up and down US 1 between the Baltimore County line and MD 175.
“We have recently implemented the additional officer in the Elkridge area which was the linear beat post proposed,” said Howard County Police Captain Daniel Coon on Feb. 23. “We have continued to have an increased patrol presence in the Elkridge area to address a number of quality of life issues, to include loitering at businesses, [drug] use and business-related calls for service."
In This article
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CVS Pharmacy
6480 Old Waterloo Rd, Elkridge, MD -
Elkridge Discount Liquor
5827 Washington Blvd, Elkridge, MD -
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Kim Dixon
6:36 am on Friday, February 24, 2012
Howard county police can't even catch a cold. I call them give them dates and times of incidents and they are not here so the problem continues.
SoccerMom
11:09 am on Friday, February 24, 2012
One of the major problems I have experienced is the common excuse that their radios don't get reception in "lower" Elkridge, which sometimes delays their response to calls. You would think after all of the years of hearing this excuse they would have done something about that by now. After all, as a "lower" Elkridge resident, I pay taxes like everyone else. Not to mention the repeated complaints by residents about traffic, people blowing throw stop signs, and speeding through Main Street and Furnace Avenue as a cut-through to Linthicum, as well as the increase in commercial vehicles (also running those same stop signs).
Mike A.
8:07 am on Monday, February 27, 2012
Be glad the radios were updated a few years back. They are far better than they were 10 yuears ago, but you can not change the topagraphy of the land. There are some dead spots, unfortunately they sometimes are in them un-knowingly as they can change slightly from time to time.
Shirley
11:25 am on Friday, February 24, 2012
They are doing the best they can. I am pretty sure that there are other calls that are not as frivolous as minor traffic violations on a road in which together the two roads do not even equal 2 miles in Howard county, or cars that do a rolling stop at the stop sign, maybe petition for some speed humps?
Kim Dixon
2:43 pm on Friday, February 24, 2012
no we have every weekend dirt bikes and four wheelers cars racing and im sure a good bit of drug activity, i ask for them to come through every now and again but nothing. I know there are other things they need to do, but patroling is one of those things.
YFZ350
3:59 pm on Friday, February 24, 2012
Kim Dixon; "Howard county police can't even catch a cold". So what makes you think they can catch a dirt bike or atv on a back road that is surrounded by nothing but woods. Its the only place left to go around here so we do it illegaly if you want to say. We dont put guns to peoples head nor rob them we stay to our own the only problem is when we are in the street, kind of no different if a fat out of shape bicyclist is trying to cycle up the road and is only going 2 mph on a 45 mph and we give the bicyclist the right of way on the Roads.
Annie
8:19 am on Saturday, February 25, 2012
"Its the only place left to go around here so we do it illegaly if you want to say" so your one of them
Adam R
10:03 am on Saturday, February 25, 2012
The lack of patrols for 10 years near main street has been unacceptable. There is a dead zone between the two counties at Rt895 which is the county line, niether county patrols. Unacceptable!
Corey Andrews
3:41 pm on Saturday, February 25, 2012
I agree Adam. What's sad is that there are people in Howard County who don't even realize that that is Howard County. So many people act like they don't even know where Elkridge is.