The Howard County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) is a law enforcement organization which acts as the enforcement arm of the Howard County court system and services Howard County, Maryland, population 328,200. Its mission centers around providing judicial enforcement and physical security for the Circuit Court. The department is a secondary law enforcement agency as police services are mostly provided by the larger, better-known Howard County Police Department while the county jail is run by the Howard County Department of Corrections. However, sheriff's deputies are fully certified law enforcement officers with the same authority as any police officer in the state of Maryland. They assist county police officers with calls for service.

History

Anne Arundel County created the Howard District in 1831 from its western half. Thomas Burgess acted as the sheriff through the 1840s. In 1851, the Howard District became its own county with a dedicated sheriff. The HCSO was created in 1851. Former Ellicott City Mayor E.A. Talbot served in 1856; George W. Howard in 1908; Julius Wolsh Jr. in 1928; George D. Day Jr. in 1930; Norman O. Haward in 1962; Donald Edward Ansell in 1972.

Sheriff James F. Fitzgerald resigned in 2016 over allegations that he had bullied his employees and made racist, sexist, and antisemitic remarks.

Organization The Sheriff's Office is located at the Howard County Circuit Court building, 9250 Judicial Way, Ellicott City, Maryland. The current sheriff is Marcus Harris, a former Baltimore County Police detective, elected in November 2018. The HCSO is divided into six sections: Domestic Violence Enforcement Warrants/Fugitive Courthouse Security Landlord/Tenant Transportation Patrol Operations

Past sheriffs Sheriff TermCharles G. Halsup1848–1851Seth W. Warfield1851–1853E.A. Talbot1853–1855Joshua McCauley1855–1857John Orem 1857–1859Thomas Burgess1859–1861J.P. Ijams1861–1863David E. Hopkins1864–1866Edward McCaulley1866–1867William A. Webb1867–1869Claudius Stewart1869–1871John S. Tracy1871–1873Walter Dorsey1873–1875G. Washington Carr1875–1877Joseph Hunt 1877–1879Joseph McCauley1879–1881Edward A. Talbott1881–1883N.T. Hutchins1883–1885Frank Shipley1885–1887George D. Day1887–1889Steven R. Hobbs1889–1891William G. Owings1891–1893Gilbert E. Flower1893–1895Greenbury Johnson Jr.1895–1896Frank Oldfield1896–1897Charles D. Pickett1897–1899Lewis E. Phelps1899–1901James E. Hobbs1901–1903John F. Kyrne1903–1905Joseph Hunt1905–1907George W Howard1907–1909James L. Hobbs1909–1911Sandy T. Mullinix1911–1913John V. Long1913–1915James L. Hobbs1915–1917H. Thomas Grimes1917–1919James H. Hudson1919–1920Arthur A. Brosenne1921–1923Phillip S. Brown1923–1926John H. Hardy1926–1930George D, Day Jr. 1930–1934J. Frank Curtis1934–1938C. Dorsey Hobbs1938–1942L. Edwin Carr1942–1946Frederick C. Kramer1946–1950W. Harvey Hill1950–1958Norman O. Howard1958–1970Charles C. Senseney1970–1974John J. Votta1974–1982Virginia L. Donnelly1982–1986Herbert Stonesifer1986–1990Michael A. Chiuchiolo1990–1998Charles M. Cave1998–2006James F. Fitzgerald2006–2016William J. McMahon2016–2018Marcus R. Harris2018–present

See also

List of law enforcement agencies in Maryland

References

External links Howard County Sheriff's Office official website