Howard County police are ramping up patrols to bolster crime prevention following a recent spate of violence, e specially near The Mall in Columbia .

Community organizations are also helping the effort.

Last week, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said his team is having an ongoing conversation with community partners about how to better support young people in the county.

Increased police presence

More Howard County police vehicles were seen around The Mall in Columbia on Monday to enhance the safety and security plan announced by Police Chief Gregory Der.

On Feb. 22, a double shooting near the bus stop outside of the Lidl near the mall killed 16-year-old Michael Robertson and 15-year-old Blake McCray .

Emmetson Zeah , the shooting suspect, is being held in the Howard County Detention Center without bail.

Community support

Ball recently touted the county's commitment to funding youth programs and organizations through the Youth Engagement Programming, or YEP, grants.

First started in 2023, the county has put in more than $1.5 million in YEP grants, according to Ball -- helping more than 10,000 young people.

"Programs focused on mentorship, recreation, life skills, sports, employment, and more: all aimed at ensuring our young people are supported and valued," Ball said. "[Letting them] know they are not here alone."

In the latest round of YEP grant funding, 33 organizations and programs got a piece of it.

STAND, which stands for Stepping Towards A New Destiny, is one of those organizations, which is run out of Wilde Lake Middle School and is led by Darryl Jeffries.

"We try to take an all-around approach," Jeffries said.

Jeffries, who is the Howard County Program Director for STAND, said the organization is a mentorship program that does everything, from helping with homework to teaching leadership skills.

The goal is to give students the skills to be on the path away from crime.

"We try to guide them and teach them about themselves. Get them a lot of character building and leadership -- skills and techniques they can use to develop themselves into men," Jeffries said.

Jeffries has seen first-hand how these programs can change someone's trajectory.

"When we give them this safe space, we're able to catch them before they erupt," he said. "Before they explode into something negative. We're able to catch it early, so that way they can take the time to work through their feelings."

You can learn more about STAND and the other YEP grant-funded programs here .