Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is set to bolster community protection against identity theft with the return of the county’s “The BIG Shred” event on November 9th. Announced today, the event aims to provide a secure way for residents to destroy confidential documents and thwart potential fraud. According to a statement reported by Howard County’s official website, Ball expressed the importance of the event, “On November 9th, we are bringing back our ‘BIG Shred’ event to provide residents with not one, but four locations, where they can safely and securely shred their confidential documents.”
As identity theft concerns continue to climb, Ball urges locals to take advantage of this service. Residents are welcome to bring up to three bags or boxes of documents to one of four shredding sites operating between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. or until the trucks are filled. The event seems destined to reach capacity quickly, so residents should arrive early. The locations announced are the Gary J. Arthur Community Center in Cooksville, Long Gate Park & Ride in Ellicott City, Elkridge Landing Middle School’s overflow parking in Elkridge, and the North Laurel Community Center in Laurel.
Howard County is leading a directed effort to ensure that personal information remains out of the wrong hands. The event allows for destroying sensitive documents, including tax, medical, and pay stubs. In a bid to maximize the event’s efficiency, officials are asking that residents pre-sort their documents. Items like junk mail or schoolwork, which do not contain sensitive information, should be kept out of the shred piles and instead recycled curbside…