An Act To Authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry To Nominate Certain Rangers in the Division of Forestry To Become Conservation Law Enforcement Officers
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 0152
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: DION, McCABE
Amends: 12 MRSA §8901

Legislative Document 
No. 152 
H.P. 127 
House of Representatives, January 31, 2013 
An Act To Authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry To Nominate Certain Rangers in the 
Division of Forestry To Become Conservation Law Enforcement 
Officers 
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative DION of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Representative: McCABE of Skowhegan. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §8901, sub-§1-A is enacted to read: 
1-A.  Definitions.  As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, 
the following terms have the following meanings. 
A.  "Conservation law enforcement officer" means a forest ranger who has received 
certification as a law enforcement officer from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy 
and has been designated a conservation law enforcement officer by the Commissioner 
of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. 
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §8901, sub-§4 is enacted to read: 
4.  Training; conservation law enforcement officers.  Beginning in 2014, the 
Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may nominate a forest ranger as 
a conservation law enforcement officer candidate.  A forest ranger who is a candidate for 
this designation must successfully meet and maintain the training standards and 
requirements for other law enforcement officers as established in Title 25, chapter 341 in 
order to become a conservation law enforcement officer.  Upon certification by the Board 
of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy that a forest ranger has successfully 
completed training under Title 25, chapter 341, the commissioner may designate the 
forest ranger a conservation law enforcement officer.  A conservation law enforcement 
officer has statewide law enforcement powers equivalent to those of a law enforcement 
officer.  For purposes of this subsection, "law enforcement officer" has the same meaning 
as in Title 25, section 2801-A, subsection 5. 
Sec. 3.  Plan for training at Maine Criminal Justice Academy.  If the 
Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry elects to nominate one or more 
forest rangers as conservation law enforcement officer candidates, the commissioner, in 
consultation with the Commissioner of Public Safety, shall develop a plan to address the 
training of forest rangers who are candidates to become conservation law enforcement 
officers.  The plan must ensure the forest rangers receive training that is equivalent to the 
training and certification requirements of law enforcement officers at the Maine Criminal 
Justice Academy under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 25, chapter 341.  The plan to 
address the training of forest rangers who are candidates to become conservation law 
enforcement officers must be completed and made available to potential candidates no 
later than July 1st of the year in which the first nomination occurs. 
SUMMARY 
This bill authorizes the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to 
nominate forest rangers in the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, 
Division of Forestry as candidates to become conservation law enforcement officers with 
the same powers as law enforcement officers.  Candidates nominated to become 
conservation law enforcement officers must successfully meet and maintain the training 
standards and requirements for other state law enforcement officers.  In the event that the 
Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry nominates one or more forest 
rangers as conservation law enforcement officers, the bill allows the commissioner, in 
consultation with the Commissioner of Public Safety, to develop a plan to address the 
training needs of forest rangers to become conservation law enforcement officers.  It also 
provides a definition of the term "conservation law enforcement officer."