(11/3) On November 2, Mayor Bradly Wantz accepted the resignation of Jason Etzler as Taneytown’s Chief of Police. In a statement released by the Town staff, Etzler had been placed on administrative leave prior to his resignation due to an intra-departmental personal matter.
Following Etzler’s resignation, the Mayor and City Council appointed Major Robert Mitchell as the Acting Chief of Police. Mitchell has been with the Department since 2019 and has over 25 years of law enforcement experience. "The Mayor and City Council are confident that Acting Chief Mitchell will provide effective leadership during this time of transition, " the statement said.
The City will now undertake a thorough vetting process to select the next Chief of Police.
Etzler had worked for the Taneytown Police Department for 20 years. He became Chief of Police in 2019 after former Police Chief William Tyler was placed on leave. Tyler, who had served as Chief for 15 years, resigned on Jan. 30, 2019, and pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court of Maryland to one count of illegally possessing and transferring a machine gun. Tyler and another officer had taken two machine guns from the police department and were using them for their own purposes. In January 2020, a federal judge sentenced Tyler to a year and a day in prison, and three years of supervised release.
Etzler, 50, grew up in Taneytown and started his career with the police department in 2002, fresh out of the Maryland Police Academy. In 2019, Etzler told The Carroll County Times that the police department would "take the corrective actions needed" following Tyler’s resignation. I would like the citizens of Taneytown to know that the department is moving forward with very dedicated personnel that always have their best interest in mind," Etzler said. "We have taken many steps to improve the operational aspects of the department and will continue to do so.
"Taneytown police officers are frequently the first to respond to medical calls involving cardiac arrest or severe traumatic injuries and city officers are now fully equipped to provide emergency care when minutes are the difference between life and death."
Under Etzler’s leadership, the City’s police department saw continued improvement in personal staffing and equipment, including equipping police officers with tasers and automated external defibrillators for the first time.
Eyzer also oversaw the design efforts for the renovations to the police department building. The current building only has one restroom and is crowded for the number of employees
Taneytown’s police department typically employs 12 to 15 officers with an annual budget of $1,794,000.
