Heavy police presence will be the new normal outside of the Columbia mall following a series of shootings putting shoppers and the community on edge. The new security plan and protocols were announced during a news conference Thursday with Howard County leaders, aimed at addressing the recent crime surge.

“This series of violent events is disturbing and impacts on our ability to feel safe,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.

“With recent events, we are establishing an enhanced safety and security plan in and around the Columbia mall,” said Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der.

The plan includes a heightened police presence, involving both undercover and uniformed patrols, as well as a team of community outreach officers assigned to identify potential threats.

The department is also partnering with mall security, gaining access to their many surveillance cameras, in addition to implementing their own drone surveillance system, adding a new set of eyes in the sky.

“When we see an ongoing problem, we will take all necessary measures and strategies to address it,” said Der. Last summer, 17-year-old Angelo Little was gunned down inside the food court. Police have identified the suspect as 17-year-old William Marshall III, who remains on the run, according to police. Howard County Police released surveillance video that captured the unknown suspect fleeing the mall after the shooting, later naming Marshall and issuing a warrant for his arrest.

“He’s staying with somebody. So, I need the help of everybody out there to make sure that we capture this individual,” said Der.

Renewing concerns, over the weekend another deadly shooting took place, this time, just outside the mall. A 16-year-old was killed, a 15-year-old critically injured, and an 18-year-old is now behind bars. The suspect, Emmetson Zeah, was placed at the scene using GPS monitoring. According to police, Zeah was wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor tied to an attempted murder charge issued last December.

Court documents revealed those monitoring Zeah’s home detention marked him missing several times during the week leading up to the shooting. One day prior, even noting to the courts that Zeah had “not been submitting verification of his whereabouts.”

The police department said it would now take a more hands-on role by joining parole and probation on home visits.

“While this is not yet an option for juvenile offenders, we will be working to ensure adult offenders are not in violation,” said Der.

Gaps in information sharing created by juvenile privacy laws remain a top concern for Howard County officials. Ball was quick to say overall violent crime is down 8% across the region but could not immediately share any statistics when asked about juvenile crime.

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