An Act to Require Police Departments to Publish and Make Accessible Their Policies and Procedures and Require Training of Officers

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STATE OF MAINE
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IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
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H.P. 1195 - L.D. 1784
An Act to Require Police Departments to Publish and Make Accessible Their
Policies and Procedures and Require Training of Officers
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2801-A, sub-§4-A is enacted to read:
4-A. Law enforcement agency. "Law enforcement agency" has the same meaning as
in section 3701, subsection 1.
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2803-B, sub-§8 is enacted to read:
8. Orientation and training. A law enforcement agency shall provide orientation and
training on the policies and procedures of the agency under subsection 1.
Sec. 3. 25 MRSA §2808-B is enacted to read:
§2808-B. Accessibility of policies and procedures
1. Publishing of policies and procedures. Except as provided by subsection 4, by
January 1, 2026, a law enforcement agency shall publish and make publicly available in
clear and understandable language the agency's policies and procedures required under
section 2803-B, including:
A. A summary of each key policy of the agency;
B. A comprehensive list of agency rules and guidelines governing law enforcement
officer conduct, including any updates or revisions; and
C. Contact information for a member of the public to request access to information
under paragraph A or B.
2. Format and accessibility. A law enforcement agency shall publish the information
in subsection 1 in a manner that clearly labels the information as the agency's policies and
procedures and states the date the policies and procedures were published. The information
must be made available:
A. On a publicly accessible website in a readable format that allows the information to
be downloaded. The information must be located on the agency's main website or a
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dedicated section of the website with no technical barriers preventing public access,
including requiring a password or a fee; or
B. In a printed paper copy format accessible at the agency's headquarters or principal
location of operations. A law enforcement agency that makes available printed paper
copies under this paragraph shall make available during normal business hours to a
member of the public a paper copy of the agency's policies and procedures under
subsection 1 within 7 business days of the member's request. If a paper copy of the
policies and procedures is not made available to a requesting member of the public
within 7 business days of the request, the law enforcement agency shall inform the
member of the public when the paper copy will be made available.
3. Agency compliance. No later than January 1st of each year, the chief administrative
officer of a law enforcement agency shall certify to the board that the agency is in
compliance with this section and section 2803-B, subsection 8.
4. Dissemination of intelligence and investigative record information prohibited.
A law enforcement agency may not disseminate a record that contains intelligence and
investigative record information that is confidential in accordance with Title 16, section
804.
5. Payment of costs. A law enforcement agency that provides printed paper copies of
policies and procedures pursuant to subsection 2, paragraph B may charge a reasonable fee
for the costs of producing the policies and procedures in accordance with Title 1, section
408-A.