County Police Department

The International Association of Chiefs of Police will recognize the Howard County Police Department for encouraging seat-belt use last year.The association focused on the department's work in the statewide Chief's Challenge program, an annual two-month-long spring initiative targeting motorists not wearing seat belts.During the program, the department issued about 1,500 tickets for failure to wear seat belts.Violators of the state seat belt law face a $25 fine.County officials estimate that about 80 percent of residents wear seat belts.

Paul L. Ensor, a retired Baltimore County police officer, died Thursday from colon cancer at Sunflower Assisted-Living in Westminster. He was 95. The son of farmers, Paul LeRoy Ensor was born and raised in Sparks. He attended Baltimore County public schools. Mr. Ensor was working at Bendix Corp. when he joined the Baltimore County Police Department in 1952. He was assigned to the Garrison Precinct, where he drove the patrol wagon, family members said. He retired in 1975. The longtime Owings Mills resident, who had lived in Upperco for the last 22 years, enjoyed fishing, crabbing and gardening.

Calvert County commissioners voted yesterday not to dismantle the sheriff's department, the primary law-enforcement agency in the county for more than 300 years. In a 3-2 vote, the commissioners decided against creating a county police department that would have relegated the sheriff and his deputies to serving arrest warrants and other lesser duties. "I'm pretty pleased about it," said Sheriff John A. "Rodney" Bartlett, who was appointed in May by Gov. Parris N. Glendening. Barlett said the vote will allow the 97-person sheriff's department to continue its duties without the distraction of worrying about the office's future.

The union that represents high-ranking police officers in Anne Arundel County has dropped the name of the force's second-in-command from a radio ad that criticizes the county's executive and chief of police. The International Brotherhood of Police Officers, which represents Anne Arundel's police lieutenants and sergeants, originally planned to run an ad that promoted Deputy Police Chief Lt. Col. Emerson C. Davis as having taken a "brave stand" by testifying in front of the County Council about alleged improprieties by his superiors.

The Baltimore County Police Department has tapped a 17-year veteran of the force to serve as night duty commander - the equivalent of police chief for the midnight shift. Peter Evans, a former captain in the Internal Affairs Division, was promoted to major yesterday, but officials said he'll be the highest-ranking officer most nights. "We're seeing more incidents at night," said Police Chief Terrence B. Sheridan. "We need to ensure there's continuity from the department's management. We really think this is going to help with communication.

The Anne Arundel County police officers union is taking its challenge of a ban on visible tattoos to a federal arbitrator after months of disagreement with the department's administration. In hopes of negotiating a new policy, officials with the Fraternal Order of Police have met three times with the chief, Col. James E. Teare Sr., since he began requiring officers to cover up their body art. The union president said Teare's only concession was to spare tattooed officers in long-sleeve uniforms from wearing ties.

The Baltimore County Police Department and the Franklin Police Community Relations Council will celebrate Police Officer Appreciation Day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the new station, 606 Nicodemus Road. Officer David Shipley will be honored as Officer of the Year. The event will feature a cookout, door prizes and activities for children.

Because of erroneous information provided by the Howard County Police Department, an article in Tuesday's Howard County edition of The Sun reported incorrectly that a High's store in the 7500 block of Murray Hill Road was robbed during the weekend. In fact, only the High's store in the 6800 block of Cradlerock Way was robbed.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 3/14/96

Police Officer Sarah Kayser knew the county's three-week SWAT school wasn't for the weak. The 27-year-old former mortgage lender hesitated before applying, worried she wasn't in good enough shape to endure daily three- to six-mile runs and treks with telephone poles on her and her classmates' shoulders. In the end, Kayser, 27, was the only Howard County officer to graduate from the most recent training program after the other four suffered injuries. In doing so, she became the first woman from her department to attempt or accomplish the feat, an important step toward joining the prestigious unit, which handles the county's most explosive situations and has no female members.

A key issue that Harford County voters will be deciding this fall is being readied for an election campaign.People for a County Police Department, an organization anchored by members of the Harford County Deputy Sheriffs Union, announced plans to open its campaign headquarters in Bel Air next Sunday.The question of whether Harford County government should create a police department, separate from the Sheriff's Office, to handle law enforcement responsibilities will be on the November ballot as a proposed charter amendment.

Florence W. Steffen, an institution in the Anne Arundel County Police Department's public information office, where her expertise earned her respect from police officers, the news media and the public during her lengthy career, died Saturday of heart failure at a daughter's Glen Burnie home. She was 79. "I was extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Florence Steffen," Col. James Teare Jr., Arundel's chief of police, said in a statement announcing her death. "She served the Police Department with excellence for more than three decades and was well respected by members of the department and the public," he said.

Salary: $79,000 Age: 45 Years on the job: 8 How he got started: From high school, Colt Bracken went into his family's plumbing and heating business. After his father died, he decided to make a change and took entrance exams to become a Baltimore County police officer. He was accepted into the police academy and graduated in 1993. He's always worked out of the Towson Precinct, first as a patrolman and since a promotion in 2001 as a detective.

A proposal to install speed monitoring cameras in Baltimore County school zones drew the ire of many residents attending a meeting with officials Wednesday at the Towson Library. About 25 speakers expressed their opinions, with most being opposed to the cameras. Del. Bill Frank said this is "Big Brother run amok." But his legislative colleague Steve Lafferty said, "If you're against this legislation, you're concerned less about children than you are about making a statement." Police Chief Jim Johnson gave statistics to show that the technology works and decreases speed-related accidents.

On a December morning, a man in a Dunbar Armored uniform told employees at a Bank of America branch in Ellicott City that he had come for a routine pickup. An employee handed him two bags containing nearly $200,000, and he left. What the bank workers didn't know was that the man didn't work for the security company. Police say the cash was picked up by Robert Allen Flanagan, 38, a former Dunbar employee who kept his uniform after losing his job. The Pennsylvania man made the rounds last fall at several businesses, picking up hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way, authorities allege.

What do you want to know about a neighborhood before you sign a sales contract or apartment lease? Lots of things, probably - but safety and schools top the list if you're like most people. You'll need to do your own research. The federal Fair Housing Act prevents real estate agents from giving you information about school quality or other factors that boil down to characterizing a neighborhood. "Realtors refer anyone who is interested in what goes on in the schools to the Board of Education," said Debbie Hager, director of communications for the Maryland Association of Realtors.

Mark Massoni struggles to keep a stern expression and a hostile tone as he pretends to be a hostage-taker. But he can't help but smile and shake his head as he mutters, "I can't believe I'm saying this." Massoni's difficult role-playing is for the benefit of four police hopefuls playing the role of a critical-incident negotiation team. All of the participants are members of the Howard County Police Department Law Enforcement Explorer Program, also known as Explorer Post 1952. The Explorer program is a career education program, allowing students ages 14 through 20 to gain insight into a career in law enforcement.

Police registering bikes to help reduce theftsThe county Police Department is registering bicycles to help reduce the risk of theft as well as to assist officers in their efforts to return stolen bikes.About 800 bikes are reported stolen in the county each month, police statistics show.Saturday and Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., police reserve officers and volunteers will be along the B & A Trail in Glen Burnie engraving numbers on bikes as part of "Operation I.D."In addition, they will provide informational pamphlets and identification stickers.

THE ISSUE: Ken Ulman's first appointment as county executive was to name William J. McMahon chief of the county Police Department, a position he had held in an acting capacity for six months. What should McMahon's top priorities be? YOUR VIEW: Send e-mail responses by Thursday to howard.speakout@baltsun.com. A selection of responses will be published next Sunday. Please keep your responses short and include your name, address and telephone number. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published.

Howard County Community College and the county Police Department have collaborated to create a program that allows police recruits to earn an associate's degree while training to become officers - loosening a strict requirement that allows the department to hire only those who have at least a two-year degree. Rather than eliminate the degree requirement, the college has created a police science degree program. Recruits would earn 60 college credits during police training through weekend classes and additional classroom time.

The Anne Arundel County police officers union is taking its challenge of a ban on visible tattoos to a federal arbitrator after months of disagreement with the department's administration. In hopes of negotiating a new policy, officials with the Fraternal Order of Police have met three times with the chief, Col. James E. Teare Sr., since he began requiring officers to cover up their body art. The union president said Teare's only concession was to spare tattooed officers in long-sleeve uniforms from wearing ties.