In-person Services

Howard County Police now offer residents the convenience of filing an online police report for certain incidents: animal complaints, dumping complaints, harassing phone calls, fraud/identity theft, lost property, motor vehicle/parking complaints, solicitor complaints, theft, theft from a shed or detached garage, theft from a vehicle, unauthorized use of vehicle, vandalism or vandalism to a motor vehicle.  

To file a police report for any other type of incident, call 911 for emergencies or 410-313-2200 for non-emergencies (police, fire, EMS).

During business hours (Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.), go to the District or Circuit Court locations below and ask the Civil Clerk’s Desk for a Petition of Protection. On evenings, weekends and holidays, go to the Court Commissioner's Office to get an Interim Order.

Howard County District Court
3451 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-480-7700

Howard County Circuit Court
9250 Judicial Way, Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-313-2111

Commissioner’s Office
7311 Waterloo Road, Jessup, MD 20794
410-313-5309

In a situation where an individual may be experiencing a psychiatric crisis and is unwilling or unable to seek help for themselves and requires immediate intervention, call 911.

Any interested person (friend, relative, neighbor, or health professional) may file a petition for emergency evaluation review by a judge.

As an alternative, a concerned party may go to the nearest district court during court hours and ask for the “petition for emergency evaluation” form, when appropriate.

Howard County District Court
3451 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-480-7700

An Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO) is a court-issued civil order temporarily requiring a person to surrender any firearms or ammunition to law enforcement. An ERPO may be filed against a person who poses an immediate and present danger of causing personal injury to self or others by having firearms. A petition may be filed by a spouse, a cohabitant, a relative or a person with a child in common, a current dating or intimate partner or a current or former legal guardian.

For more information please visit: mdcourts.gov/district/ERPO.

Did you know you can dispose of your unwanted medication any day of the year at one of our permanent drop off locations? They're OPEN DAILY YEAR ROUND! Dispose of unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications safely and anonymously. None of the locations listed below accept sharps or liquid medications. 

Police-run locations:

• Northern District Station, 3410 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, 24/7
• Southern District Station, 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel, 24/7
• Community Outreach, 10741 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, business hours
• Gary J. Arthur Community Center, 2400 Route 97, Cooksville, business hours
• MD State Police Waterloo Barrack, 7777 Washington Boulevard, Jessup, 24/7

Pharmacy locations:

• CVS, 3300 Centennial Lane, Ellicott City, 24/7
• Walgreens, 10097 Baltimore National Pike (Rt. 40), Ellicott City, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
• CVS, 6480 Old Waterloo Road, Elkridge, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• CVS, 15100 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, 24/7

If you are looking to properly and safely dispose of medical sharps (needles, syringes, EpiPens), please visit Howard County's Bureau of Environmental Services website for details on how to properly dispose of these items.

Need a safe place to handle a transaction you arranged online?

Two designated parking spaces, marked with yellow signs, are available at the Northern District Station at 3410 Court House Drive, Ellicott City; Southern District Station at 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel; and Community Outreach at 10741 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Individuals may also use the lobby of each station.

These areas are video recorded 24/7/365. If a buyer or seller refuses to meet at a police station, residents may want to reconsider the transaction.

Residents may voluntarily dispose of a firearm with police by doing the following:

• transport the unloaded firearm in a safe place, the trunk of your vehicle for example
• leave the firearm in your vehicle and contact the duty officer at the front desk
• an officer will recover the firearm from the vehicle and complete a destruction of firearms form

Howard County Police Department does not offer fingerprinting services to non-applicants. 

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services created a list of locations that offer fingerprint services here. 

Those wishing to pick up their property from HCPD should first call the Property Room directly at 410-313-2246 to inquire about the status of the property, if it is authorized to be released, and to schedule an appointment.