Crime & Safety

The Week's Best of Police and Fire Reporting

Patch reports on cops, crime and occasional chaos in your community.

We only see the back of his head because this young man wanted to stay anonymous. In his first on-the-record interview, he admits helping to disrupt the international hacking group Lulz Security, or LulzSec, which claims responsiblity for cyberattacks on the CIA and several other high-profile government and corporate web sites. "Taking down the CIA web site for publicity is just media-whoring," he told Arbutus Patch

The new Savage Firehouse will be a bit farther away from some residential areas, homeowners say, but a major business proprietor thinks the upgraded building will be worth it. Read about the community conversation onSavage Patch.


Maryland state police have identified the body of a man they found in Patapsco Valley State Park during a separate search for Phylicia Barnes, a teenager who had been missing since December.Ellicott City Patch has the story.


The Montgomery County’s firefighters’ union head, John J. Sparks, is set to stand trial for drunk driving, according to Howard County court dockets. He is charged with six traffic violations and four drunk driving-related infractions. Visit Colesville Patch for details.


The Carroll County Sheriff's Office will be responding to a majority of county 911 calls starting July 1, taking more responsibility for local incidents instead of the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack. To hear from the Carroll County commissioners about why the decision was made, stop by Eldersburg Patch.


A Howard County judge has sentenced a Columbia woman to a year in jail for hitting her boyfriend with her car in an Elkridge Econo Lodge parking lot. The man was not seriously hurt. The Columbia resident must serve weekends in jail and enroll in an abuser intervention program. Find out more onElkridge Patch.


Charged with conspiracy to commit witness and evidence tampering, Prince George's County Councilwoman Leslie E. Johnson (Dist. 6)  pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in connection with a federal corruption case involving her husband, former County Executive Jack Johnson. Go to Laurel Patch for more.


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