Mission Statement
The mission of the Howard County Sheriff's Office is to provide judicial enforcement and physical security for the Circuit Court, to provide a variety of quality services for citizens, and to assist other law enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order in Howard County.
Value Statements
Professionalism - We are committed to providing professional law enforcement services by highly trained personnel.
Integrity - We are committed to demonstrating and maintaining the highest ethical standards both personally and organizationally.
Service - Our goal is to ensure the preservation of a positive and professional working relationship between law enforcement and the community which we serve.
Sheriff Marcus Harris
The Howard County Sheriff's Office has been in existence and serving the citizens of Howard County since 1851. The Sheriff's Office offers a broad range of law enforcement services, such as Judicial Security, Summons Service, Warrant Service & Fugitive Retrieval, Domestic Violence Service & Assistance, Prisoner Transportation, and Landlord/Tenant Services.
Public “CALEA Statement” for our Sheriff’s Office website is below:
Posted 2/8/23
The Howard County Sheriff’s Office is participating in the CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation process. As a part of this process, we provide an opportunity for public feedback via the CALEA Portal which can be located here: http://cimrs2.calea.org/1127
The purpose of this public portal is to receive comments regarding our compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide our agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster our pursuit of professional excellence.
It is important to know that CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes. Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgement to submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.
Standard titles may be viewed on the CALEA website: Law Enforcement - Standards Titles | CALEA® | The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The level of accreditation the Howard County Sheriff’s Office is participating in includes only those applicable standards that are in bold.
If you have questions about our agency, standards, or the process, please call:
Captain Darrin Granger, Accreditation Manager
410-313-4214
Resources
Forms and Publications
The Howard County Sheriff's Office is available Monday thru Friday, from 8:30am until 4:00pm. The Domestic Violence Unit is also available during the weekend. After-hours phone inquiries should be made to 410-313-4150. For all other inquiries, please contact 410-313-2150.
- Address: 9250 Judicial Way, Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
- Email: HCSO@howardcountymd.gov
- Phone: 410-313-2150
Contact Information for Individual HCSO Sections & Units
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SHERIFF: 410-313-4202
- MARYLAND PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS: email mmckelvey@howardcountymd.gov.
- Domestic Violence Advocate: 410-313-4012
- Domestic Violence Unit: 410-313-7554
- Duty Officer: 410-313-4150
- Education & Training Section: 410-313-4210
- Landlord / Tenant Section: 410-313-4222
- Research & Planning Section: 410-313-4201
- Public Information Office: 410-313-4201
- Service of Process: 410-313-4168
- Warrant / Fugitive Section: 410-313-4174
Citizen Comments
The Howard County Sheriff's Office encourages citizens to comment about the quality of service they have received. Commendations of deputy and civilian service or questions/complaints regarding inappropriate service or actions are welcome.
Complimentary letters can be addressed directly to the Office of the Sheriff at any of the three locations listed above.
Complaints may be filed several ways:
- by letter, addressed to the Office of the Sheriff
- by telephone, called into any of the three locations listed above
- in person
- by submitting a Complaint Against Personnel Form to the Office of the Sheriff
Complaints of a serious nature will be handled by the Office of the Chief Deputy, which is responsible for the acceptance, oversight, and adjudication of allegations of deputy misconduct.
Citizen comments play a fundamental role in the professional integrity of the Sheriff's Office and each one is taken seriously and investigated objectively.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact our Victims' Rights Advocate at 410-313-4214.
Non-English speaking citizens should contact the Sheriff's Office at 410-313-4510 or 410-313-2153 to make arrangements for filing a complaint.
Request Status of a Sheriff's Office Complaint
Administrative Trial Boards
The Howard County Sheriff’s Office conducts Administrative Trial Boards in accordance with the Maryland Public Safety Article 3-101.
Trial Boards are conducted at the request of the deputy who exercises their rights granted under the above Article. Maryland law allows the Sheriff to close a trial board to the public's view if there is “good cause, including to protect a confidential informant, an undercover officer, or a child witness" (Section 3-107 (e)(II) of the Maryland Public Safety Article). In general, Trial Boards are held at the Howard County Circuit Court Building located at 9250 Judicial Way, Ellicott City, Maryland 21043 (Court Room to be Determined) for alleged violation occurring on or after July 1, 2022.
These rules are to be followed for visitors inside the court room:
- Respond to the Circuit Court Building and announce your intention to view the trial board and present a valid identification card,
- All weapons to include firearms and other contraband are prohibited,
- All electronic devices inside the trial room shall remain off, and no electronic device may be used to receive, transmit, or record sound, visual image, data, or other information,
- No food or beverages are allowed in the trial room,
- Visitors cannot interrupt the proceedings, or they will be removed from the trial room,
- Visitors will be required to wait for a recess or stoppage of the trial before entering or exiting the trial room,
- During deliberations and/or recesses visitors will either have to remain in the trial room the entire time or be escorted outside of the building,
- Smoking is not permitted in the building,
- Seating will be determined on a first come, first served basis, and
- Visitors that do not comply with these rules are subject to removal.
Individuals interested in attending a trial board should contact Captain Darrin Granger, Commander of Administrative Services, at 410-313-4214.
Below are trials that are scheduled within the next twenty days. If you plan to attend a trial board, please check this website daily after 4pm to confirm it is still scheduled. An administrative trial may be postponed or cancelled if the matter is resolved prior to the scheduled hearing date.
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General Orders
Office Policy
The Howard County Sheriff's Office publishes a list of our official policies (General Orders) for public view as a way to show our commitment to transparency and open communication with the public. These policies are both the administrative and operational work for the members of our office and help to guide our members in the daily performance of their duties.
By law, there are a few policies that have not been included on this list due to the release compromising deputy and the public's safety.
HCSO Administrative Orders
ADM-02 Definitions and Terminology.pdf
ADM-04 Discrimination and Harassment.pdf
ADM-05 Secondary Employment.pdf
ADM-06 Uniform and Grooming.pdf
ADM-07 Office Correspondence.pdf
ADM-08 Office Vehicle Policy.pdf
ADM-09 Internal Investigations.pdf
ADM-10 Health and Physical Fitness.pdf
ADM-15 Organizational Structure.pdf
ADM-16 Student Volunteer Program.pdf
ADM-17 Departmental Commendations.pdf
ADM-19 Chaplain Program and Deputy Support.pdf
ADM-22 Selection of Sworn Personnel.pdf
ADM-24 Promotion of Sworn Personnel.pdf
ADM-29 Accreditation Management.pdf
ADM-32 Budget Fiscal Policies.pdf
ADM-33 Education and Training.pdf
ADM-38 Personnel Early Warning System.pdf
ADM-40 Performance Evaluations.pdf
ADM-41 HCSO Goals and Objectives.pdf
ADM-44 Selection of Civilian Personnel.pdf
ADM-45 Recruitment and Fair Employment Practices.pdf
HCSO Operational Orders
OPS-04 Communicable Diseases and Bloodborne Pathogens.pdf
OPS-05 Response to Crimes of Sexual Violence.pdf
OPS-10 Mentally Disordered Persons.pdf
HCSO Annual Report(s)
Civil Process Information
The Howard County Sheriff’s Office accepts Circuit Court documents for civil process service in Howard County, MD, as well as documents from out of state Courts. The fee for all Maryland Court documents served is $60 per paper (effective October 1, 2022 the fee has increased from $40 to $60 per paper), and $60 for out of state documents served per paper. All District Court documents must be processed by the Civil Clerks in the original jurisdiction and will be sent to the Howard County Sheriff’s Office for service.
The Howard County Sheriff’s Office will only accept documents for service if the defendant is believed to reside or work in Howard County, MD. Documents for service outside of Howard County must be sent to the appropriate County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office will only accept civil process if the expiration date on the document is two (2) weeks away or more. Usually, the Court gives the Sheriff’s Office sixty (60) days to attempt service. If the Sheriff’s Office is unable to serve a document on a defendant, the Office will refund half of the service fee by mailing a check to the address provided by the customer requesting service. The Sheriff’s Office only accepts payment for service by personal check, cashier’s check, or money order. Cash, credit cards, and starter checks are not accepted. All forms of payment are to be payable to: Howard County Sheriff’s Office. If payment is made in person at the Sheriff’s Office, a receipt will be provided. Valid ID is required when dropping off documents for service and we ask for a phone number in case we have a question about the service.
Once the Sheriff’s Office accepts documents for service, it usually takes three (3) business days to assign them to a uniformed Deputy for service in Howard County. When the Deputy attempts service at a residence or employer, they make every reasonable effort to personally serve the defendant named on the document.
After the document is served, the assigned Deputy will complete a RETURN and that document will be mailed by the Sheriff’s Office to the appropriate Court named in the civil action. If, after numerous attempts for service, the documents cannot be served, the assigned Deputy will complete a NON-EST RETURN to the appropriate Court, and a refund check will be mailed to the requesting party for service. If the assigned Deputy believes the defendant is purposefully evading service of the document, the Deputy will complete an EVASION of SERVICE RETURN to the appropriate Court.
A customer may call the Howard County Sheriff’s Office to check on the status of their requested document service by calling: 410-313-4168 and speaking to the Clerk assigned to data entry of all papers. If a customer leaves a detailed message and return phone number, the Clerk will return all telephone inquiries in a timely manner. An additional phone number to call is the Duty Officer at: 410-313-4150.
