An Act to Waive Basic Law Enforcement Training Requirements for Full-time Law Enforcement Officers Who Have Successfully Completed Equivalent Courses in Other Jurisdictions

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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1295
S.P. 525 In Senate, March 25, 2025
An Act to Waive Basic Law Enforcement Training Requirements
for Full-time Law Enforcement Officers Who Have Successfully
Completed Equivalent Courses in Other Jurisdictions
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator MOORE of Washington.
Cosponsored by Representative BOYER of Poland and
Senators: BERNARD of Aroostook, BLACK of Franklin, CYRWAY of Kennebec, MARTIN
of Oxford, STEWART of Aroostook, Representatives: MINGO of Calais, PERKINS of Dover-
Foxcroft, TUELL of East Machias.

Page 1 - 132LR0866(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2804-C, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 147, §29, is further
3 amended to read:
41. Required. As a condition to the continued employment of any person as a full-time
5 law enforcement officer by a municipality, a county, the State or any other nonfederal
6 employer, that person must successfully complete, within the first 12 months of initial full-
7 time employment, the basic training course at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy
8 approved by the board. If a person's failure to comply with this requirement was a result
9 of that person's failure to satisfy any of the admission standards applicable to the basic
10 training course and that person is subsequently employed as a full-time law enforcement
11 officer within 12 months of termination of the initial employment by a municipality, a
12 county, the State or any other nonfederal employer, the person must have satisfied all the
13 admission standards established by the board prior to the time of hire. As a condition of
14 continued employment as a full-time law enforcement officer, the officer must
15 satisfactorily maintain the basic certification by completing the recertification requirements
16 prescribed by the board. The board, under extenuating and emergency circumstances in
17 individual cases, may extend the 12-month period for not more than 180 days. The board
18 also, in individual cases, may shall waive the basic training requirement when the facts
19 indicate that an equivalent course has been successfully completed.
20Sec. 2. Maine Criminal Justice Academy; study law enforcement training
21requirement waiver. The Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy
22 shall conduct a study and develop recommendations regarding the waiver of the basic law
23 enforcement training requirement in individual cases pursuant to the Maine Revised
24 Statutes, Title 25, section 2804-C, subsection 1. In conducting the study, the board shall
25 focus on reducing unnecessary or burdensome requirements that would prevent a law
26 enforcement officer who has completed an equivalent training course from qualifying for
27 the waiver. No later than December 3, 2025, the board shall submit a report containing the
28 findings and recommendations of the study, including any proposed legislation, to the Joint
29 Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. After reviewing the report, the
30 committee may report out legislation relating to the report to the Second Regular Session
31 of the 132nd Legislature.
32SUMMARY
33 Current law permits, but does not require, the Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal
34 Justice Academy to waive basic training requirements for newly employed law
35 enforcement officers that have completed an equivalent basic law enforcement training
36 course. This bill changes the waiver from permissive to mandatory if an officer has
37 completed an equivalent training course. Additionally, the bill directs the board to conduct
38 a study to review the current waiver requirements and suggest legislation to reduce any
39 unnecessary or burdensome requirements that would prevent a law enforcement officer
40 from qualifying for a law enforcement basic training waiver.
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