A Columbia woman reported being robbed in the garage minutes before. She was unharmed, saw him drive off and wrote down his license number. On a Sunday in July, a Dundalk woman reported having been followed to a casino elevator by a 'nice-looking kid' who tried to grab her purse and pulled out a pocket knife. Shinham and county police say they collaborate frequently, and note that they were able to solve one crime this summer through teamwork. 'We've been very fortunate to be able to track down the person very quickly and we can get the money back to them,' Shinham said. Shinham, who oversees a staff of 200 security officers, plus off-duty police and the network of cameras, said even credit-stealing patrons do not often get away with it. Theft is the most common crime there, and the most common type is unique to casinos: Gamblers leave slot machines to go to the restroom or buy a drink and someone uses their unused 'credits' - money they have in the machine but haven't used yet - said Karen Shinham, the casino's director of security.
County police data show similar low-crime figures for the casino. The data reported to state regulators includes incidents handled by internal security, some of which do not result in a police response. There were 32 physical altercations and 14 drug-related incidents, according to data provided by state gambling regulators.
From January through August, Maryland Live reported 51 thefts and robberies, the most common problem.
