Oakland at a "crossroads" on policing

With one town police officer, Oakland's council asked Garrett County Sheriff Bryson Meyers how the Sheriff's Office could help cover the town.

GCN Staff· Oct. 22, 2026, 9:45 p.m. ·Updated Oct. 29, 2026, 9:09 p.m. ·1 min read

Original reportingGCN gathered this information itself, by contacting people and agencies directly. How we label stories

Correction, Oct. 29, 2026: An earlier version of this story said Garrett County News recorded the Oct. 20 Oakland Mayor and Town Council meeting. The recording was provided by Oakland Mayor Andrew Sauder.

Oakland at a "crossroads" on Policing — Image: Garrett County News graphic

With one town police officer, Oakland's council asked Garrett County Sheriff Bryson Meyers how the Sheriff's Office could help cover the town.

Sheriff's deputies handled 2,655 incidents in Oakland in 2025 and 2,228 so far this year, Meyers said, and served 636 civil and criminal papers in town over the past year.

Audio provided by Oakland Mayor Andrew Sauder. Oakland Mayor and Town Council, Oct. 20, 2026.

The full meeting recording is in the Town of Oakland's Public Meeting Archive on OaklandMD.gov.

Sources: Oakland Mayor and Town Council meeting, Oct. 20, 2026; audio provided by Oakland Mayor Andrew Sauder; Town of Oakland Public Meeting Archive, https://aro365586039.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/PublicMeetingArchive/EvrpJ22RQUFBmXDukZkd1hwBULKi5rQxDCgRqYwAycPsDg?e=p7huLW See this story on Facebook →

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