Howard County faces rising youth crime, a growing senior population and a need to recruit more qualified officers, said newly appointed Police Chief Bill McMahon.
“We are well positioned to meet those challenges,” he said Tuesday at a news conference.
County Executive Ken Ulman appointed McMahon in his first official act in office.
“No one is better suited or better equipped” to run the police department, Ulman said, adding that public safety has been one of his top priorities.
A 20-year veteran of the department, McMahon rose through the ranks and was named the deputy chief of police for operations in 2002. He has served as acting chief since June when Police Chief Wayne Livesay retired. The chief position pays $135,000. The department has about 500 employees, about 400 of whom are sworn officers.
Howard has seen a rising number of robberies, as well as an increase in the number of youth involved in serious crimes, McMahon said. The county also has a growing senior population, as well as more residents with limited English proficiency, all of which challenge the department, he said.
The department also will see the effects of several officers soon reaching retirement age, particularly those in high-level positions, he said. Ulman echoed the staffing concerns, saying he wants to “take a good, hard look at the staffing levels to make sure we are equipped to be proactive.”
He also said he wanted to focus on at-risk youth to ensure officers do more than enforce the crime. McMahon is “well thought of by the troops,” and has a good relationship with the police union, said Jim Fitzgerald, president of the Howard County Police Officer?s Association.
