If the number of superlatives used Tuesday night to describe the Howard County Police Department is any indication, the department should sail through a voluntary national accreditation process.
Eighteen people attended a residents? meeting to comment on the police force as part of its effort to be reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
Among those present at the Howard Building were Sydney Cousin, superintendent of the county school system; Maggie Brown, president of the Columbia Association; and Lewis Saunders, first vice president of the county branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and member of the police Citizens? Advisory Council.
Cousin said the police have helped the school system through a safe-driving initiative for students.
Recounting a recent incident in which a 4-year-old boy was shot in the head by a stray bullet while inside his Columbia home, Brown praised the police for calming residents? fears.
“They went door-to-door and answered questions and set up special patrols,” she said. “They did great detective work, and a suspect was caught. And thankfully, the child survived.”
Saunders said, “This is an excellent police department, and it should be a model for the entire United States.”
“I appreciate the feedback,” said Police Chief G. Wayne Livesay, who is running as a Republican for a seat on the County Council in District 5. “I believe it?s genuine.”
Police Review
» CALEA assesses whether the police department has met more than 400 standards, including the proper use of force and how the department handles car chases, Howard County Police Chief G. Wayne Livesay said.
» The department is currently accredited, but to retain its accreditation, it is undergoing a four-day review process.
