Towson's 'Mischief Night' Is Tuesday, October 30

From TACOP: On “Mischief Night” the Towson Area Citizens On Patrol (TACOP) will increase its volunteer COP Mischief Prevention Patrols on streets in downtown Towson and in its surrounding 25 neighborhoods to deter Halloween pranksters and troublemakers on the eve of Halloween. On Tuesday, October 30, COP volunteer drivers, bikers, walkers, joggers and dog walkers will be patrolling all evening to help prevent and eliminate mischievous activity in Towson on the night before Halloween.

Working in partnership with the Baltimore County Police, COP Mischief Prevention Patrols will be out in force that evening to discourage mischievous acts like egg throwing and wrapping trees and porches with rolls of toilet paper. While many of the volunteer COP patrollers will have magnetized signs on their cars and a blinking light on their roof, others will patrol in unmarked vehicles. All patrollers will be armed with a cell phone and immediately call 911 if they see suspect activity.

For the last 18 years, TACOP volunteer patrollers have established a visible presence in Towson on Mischief Night and served as a major deterrent to pranks and delinquent activity. While most pranks are not crimes, tossing raw eggs at cars damages the car’s paint if it is not washed off immediately and raw egg fights leave a mess which residents and businesses have to clean up. Since the inception of TACOP’s Mischief Night patrols, the number of incidents has declined.

TACOP’s Mischief Night, which is open to the public, starts at 6 PM on October 30 at the Baltimore County Police Hillendale Resource Center located at 1055 Taylor Avenue. After greetings from the Baltimore County Police, COP volunteers will network, compare notes on their neighborhood patrols, enjoy light refreshments then go out on patrol. Attendees are asked to bring new or gently used hats, gloves and scarves to donate for those less fortunate adults and children.

TACOP is a 501c3 organization founded in 2000 to help Towson Area neighborhoods start COP programs and is solely supported by donations.

For more information go to http://towsonareacop.org or contact Pat France at 410-828-5564/tapecnarf@gmail.com.

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