Oxford residents may be surprised to learn that Talbot County sheriff’s deputies assigned to the town cannot enforce some of Oxford’s own municipal ordinances.
That distinction surfaced during the commissioners’ meeting when Lt. J.R. Dobson of the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office explained that deputies can enforce state law, including speeding and other traffic violations, but cannot issue citations for violations that exist only under town code. Oxford’s own public safety page confirms that the Sheriff’s Office does not enforce local town ordinances.
“If it’s state law, 100%, we can enforce that,” Dobson told commissioners.
But when it comes to matters such as Oxford’s noise ordinance or certain local parking restrictions, deputies do not have the same authority.
“If it’s the town noise ordinance, the deputies can’t write a town citation,” Dobson said.
He offered parking as another example.
“We can’t write a parking ticket where somebody’s parked in a town boat ramp lot,” he said.
The distinction can be fairly narrow. Commissioner David Donovan noted that deputies can issue a citation when a vehicle blocks a driveway because state law applies, but they cannot cite a vehicle simply for being parked in an area designated by the town as a no parking zone.
The issue is tied to the current memorandum of understanding between Oxford and the Sheriff’s Office, which provides law enforcement coverage through a resident deputy program.
The distinction prompted a question from commissioners about speeding. Dobson made clear that deputies can issue speeding tickets because those violations fall under state law.
The problem arises when a violation exists only under Oxford’s municipal code. In those cases, Dobson said the town would need someone with the authority to enforce it.
Donovan said the limitation was already known to town officials and so far has not presented a significant problem because violations of town ordinances requiring citations have been relatively rare. He said Oxford is reviewing records from the period when the town had its own police department to determine how frequently such citations were actually issued.
He also noted that Oxford is not unique. Other Talbot County municipalities that rely on the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement face the same distinction between state law and locally adopted ordinances.
Still, the issue could become more noticeable as Oxford depends on the Sheriff’s Office for routine law enforcement. Residents who call deputies about noise, parking, or other local ordinance issues may expect immediate enforcement, only to find that a deputy’s authority depends on whether the conduct violates state law or only the town code.
8 Responses
Why cannot the Sheriff’s Department issue citations for violations that exist only under town code? Since they are the duly contracted law enforcement officers of the Town, what is it that precludes them from enforcing the town code? If they did, who will keep them from “writing a parking ticket where somebody’s parked in a town boat ramp lot?” If it is a law, it is unlikely that it was intended to address this situation, and perhaps not enforcing town code is an overzealous application of the law. Why is this problem surfacing now?
Interesting the Commissioners knew that and were ok with it. Where if the transparency they claim to have?
Did they also knew the Sheriffs Offixe would not be driving through the Oxford businesses also?
I find it interesting this limitation was known by commissioners. Were Town records reviewed prior to the budget process when this budget save was proposed?
Last night was the first time I and other residents were made aware from the reaction. To be clear, there is a difference between mentioning and highlighted. While this may have been mentioned (questionable), it was certainly not highlighted.
Transparency?
It appears Doc’s management has made every effort to deal with the parking issue for their location. Clearly, it is not an ideal location for parking. It seems to me its the town’s responsibility to protect the rights of the residents on Pier Street by issuing tickets to anyone parking in residents’ driveways or otherwise leaving their vehicles in blocking positions. That isn’t the fault of the restaurant management.
I hope the additional parking suggestions made at the town meeting combined with the management’s continuing use of cart vehicles to transport customers from various locations to the property and back will work out without any further ado.
Having witnessed a resident’s frustration last week with a car parked halfway across her driveway made it very apparent that enforcement of parking violations is an absolute requirement wherever residential areas are effected. Somehow, the town needs to ensure violators are fined and Pier Street residents’ rights are protected, especially during peak business hours.
Listen up folks and for those who are being hysterical and propagating hysteria and fake news. The Sheriff’s Deputies, including Brandon can write state citations for parking, blocking driveways and other motor vehicle violations. The municipal citations for a dog sh**ing on tulips or running loose are few and far between. We only wrote three dog tickets or loose dogs in 33 years ! Here’s a fun fact ! Open containers of alcohol is also a citation they can write. I have the institutional knowledge! So stop clutching the pearls and being dramatic.
Pat,
Good to see you are still in the game. Hope you are doing well! You did an excellent job for our almost 15 years in Oxford.
Former residents Dick & Jayne Steeg formerly 224 S. Morris Street, now Lancaster, PA
Pat, the residents on Pier Street deserve protection from people who rudely park their vehicles blocking driveways. Handing out tickets/fines consistently will deliver the message that parking violations won’t be tolerated. But clearly, this isn’t the fault of Doc’s management. I hope your suggestion is acceptable to everyone.
Not sure I understand the issue, is most municipalities that is not the job of law enforcement. It is handled by municipal staff (code enforcement, parking enforcement, etc).