October 2nd, 2025 by WCBC Radio

The City of Cumberland announced Wednesday afternoon that James Pyles will be the next Chief of Police for Cumberland. The appointment will be made official at the October 7th Mayor and Council meeting. WCBC spoke with Pyles who thanked the Mayor and Council along with City Administrator Jeff Silka for the opportunity. Pyles has over 40 years of public safety experience and says he already has some plans in mind…

    

“We’re going to be doing things a little different. We’re going to change the culture. We’re going to do some community policing. I want the vision of someone feels comfortable to call me and I want the vision of an officer’s on the street – someone can say hey, can I speak to you a minute, got a minute – and they’d know their name.”

Pyles’ experience ranges from a career with the Maryland State Police, multi-agency teams, heading up the narcotics task force and dealing with the opioid crisis…

    

“There’s nothing I haven’t dealt with. There’s nothing I haven’t seen. There’s nothing that will surprise me.”