Towson Readies for 'Mischief Night'

The night before Halloween, Towson community members will be keeping an eye out for potentially damaging activities on what they call “Mischief Night.”

For the fifteenth year, the Towson Area Citizens on Patrol (TACOP) will work in tandem with police on Mischief Night to deter “pranksters and troublemakers” from “mischievous acts like egg throwing” as well as “wrapping trees, porches and cars with rolls of toilet paper in downtown Towson and its 25 surrounding neighborhoods,” the organization said in a statement.

TACOP will be out in force from 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 to midnight.

Most volunteers will have magnetized signs on their vehicles and a blinking light identifying them as citizens on patrol, while others will be unmarked.

“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,” the organization said in a statement. “In the last 15 years, COP volunteers have established a visible presence in Towson on Mischief Night and serve as a deterrent to pranks and delinquent activity.”

The TACOP Mischief Night is open to the public. Meet at the Baltimore County Police Hillendale Resource Center, 1055 Taylor Avenue, at 6 p.m. Donations of hats, gloves and scarves are encouraged to support the Family Crisis Center and local shelters. At the center, citizens will network, compare notes on neighborhoods and have light refreshments before reviewing patrols and heading out at 7 p.m. During patrols, citizens take their cell phones and call 911 if they see suspicious activities.