Two weeks ago, I made a statement at the Oxford Commissioners Meeting in support of retaining an independent Oxford Police Department. At the time, I did not realize that Ms. Holly Wahl, Oxford’s Town Manager, would be presenting a draft budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year.
The draft budget offered four options for providing police protection in Oxford:
- Dissolution of the Department and contracting with the Talbot County Sheriff’s Department;
- A two-person Oxford Police Department;
- A three-person department;
- A four-person department.
Frankly, the budget options presented appeared to me not as true options, but as inflated numbers designed to support a decision already made: dissolve our local department and contract with the Sheriff.
To be sure, Oxford has serious budget issues, which appear to have existed for some time but have been “swept under the rug” by previous administrations. Ms. Wahl very clearly demonstrated this with a prepared graph. Oxford has been spending more than its income for several years.
Our Town Commissioners must not take the easy road and balance the Town’s budget—barely—by eliminating our Police Department.
I can speculate that one motivation for dissolving the Department and contracting with the Sheriff is that it relieves the Commissioners of dealing with some very vexing HR issues. For reasons unknown, they were compelled to dismiss Oxford’s long-term Chief. Then, not too far into the tenure of a new Chief, dismiss him as well.
I have no doubt these events were frustrating and stressful for our Commissioners. Governing is hard.
Raymond S. Tull
Shelley L. Golden
Oxford
I want to thank the Spy for publishing my letter… However they didn’t quite get it all… Here is page two
I believe it would be a serious mistake to eliminate our Oxford Police Department, the history of which goes back to the incorporation of Oxford Town in 1900. The Department is part of our Town’s DNA
There are so many intangible and unquantifiable benefits to maintaining our own Police Department I could fill the page with them.
I would urge the Commissioners to “think outside the box”. Let’s come up with ways to balance the budget, begin building a reserve AND keep the Police Department.
I also think Oxford should keep it’s own Police Department. I’m not a resident, but worked at the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory for over 20 years. Some years ago there was a group of Oxford residents who walked their dogs on South Morris Street every morning, at the exact time that most of the employees were arriving at work. While these folks were obeying the letter of the law by leashing their dogs, they allowed them to roam at the full length of the leashes, and also walked 5-6 abreast across the street, effectively blocking vehicular traffic. One morning I was attempting to ease past when one person swerved in front of me, not looking towards my car at all. I honked my horn as a warning, and it was as if WWIII had broken out. The person shouted at me and approached my driver window threatening to call the police and “report” me. I made a immediate left turn and went straight to the Police Department office to make a complaint. The officer acknowledged that he knew this particular group and their habits. He said “Wait here”, got in his car, intercepted them on S. Morris Street, apparently gave them the lecture on impeding traffic, and returned, saying they had been told not to interfere with me anymore. And that was the last I saw of the dog walkers on S. Morris Street. I suppose they found a less well traveled street for their morning perambulation. Nobody got hurt, nobody was arrested, and people and dogs relocated to a safer place. That is what effective community policing is about. I can’t imagine the Sheriff’s Department would have responded in as timely or effectively a manner, if at all.