Police Talk Stranger Danger in Elkridge

One day when Jeff was away from home, someone threw a mailbox through his front window.

“That’s when I got the camera,” he said, standing in the cafeteria of on Tuesday evening. 

Jeff, who asked that his last name not be printed, not only installed a security camera on his property, he also got a license plate tag reader to identify cars driving by.

He joined other parents on Feb. 7 to discuss child safety with members of the Howard County Police Department after a rash of "stranger danger" in the area.

Since the beginning of January, there have been seven reports of  with strangers attempting to engage or acting suspicious near children, according to the police department. Three were in Elkridge, two in Ellicott City and two in Columbia.

“We don't think any of them are related,” said Northern District Capt. Daniel Coon, and  in Rockburn Township has been resolved; a child didn’t recognize a neighbor who was offering a ride home.

That was good news to Marlene, who also requested that her last name not be used. Marlene has a 2-year-old and a 7-year-old at Woodbine Elementary School.

“Before tonight,” she said, “I thought we had one person trying to abduct children.”

Marlene said she moved to Howard County because it was safe. 

“And we do feel safe,” she said, “but incidents like this remind me no place is really safe.”

At the meeting, Community Resource Officer Bonita Linkins fielded questions on what families could do.

One parent asked whether talking with his child on a cell phone while he walked to school would make him safer.

The answer, according to Linkins and Coon, was an emphatic “no.”

A kid—or adult—who is talking on the phone is not paying attention to his or her surroundings. “When people see young children with a cell phone or iPod out,” that makes them a robbery target, added Coon.

One parent asked about the mixed message in teaching kids about “stranger danger” while also raising them to be polite.

“I’m confused,” he said. “I teach my kids to be friendly, kind, courteous … civil.” He said his children often see him talking to strangers around town. 

How does that jive with “stranger danger?” he asked.

“We’re not saying for your kids to go out and kick strangers in the shin,” Linkins said.

Teach your kids to be polite at home, but when you’re out, she said, “all that goes out the window. You have to survive.” 

A small percentage of children who are abducted are taken by strangers—about 115 of the 58,000 non-family abductions in 1999, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Coon said that as far as he knows, there has never been a child abduction in Howard County.

“You all live in a very, very, very safe community,” he said.

Still, Linkins encouraged parents to call police if they spot something suspicious.

The non-emergency number is 410-313-2200. In a pinch, though, she said not to hesitate before calling 911.

To contact your local community resource officer, visit the Howard County Police Department's community policing website.