An Act to Require Police Departments to Publish and Make
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1784
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: WARREN
Amends: 25 MRSA §2801-A, 25 MRSA §2803-B, 25 MRSA §2808-B

Legislative Document
No. 1784
H.P. 1195
House of Representatives, April 24, 2025
An Act to Require Police Departments to Publish and Make 
Accessible Their Policies and Procedures and Require Training of 
Officers
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative WARREN of Scarborough.
Cosponsored by Representatives: DILL of Old Town, JULIA of Waterville, PLUECKER of 
Warren, RANA of Bangor.
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.  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, including policies on use of force, de-
escalation techniques and pursuit and any other key policies 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 
dedicated section of the website with no technical barriers preventing public access, 
including requiring a password or a fee; and
B. In a printed paper form accessible at the agency's headquarters or principal location 
of operations and be provided for no fee upon request from a member of the public.  A 
law enforcement agency shall provide to a member of the public a printed paper form 
of the agency's policies and procedures under subsection 1 within 7 business days of 
the member of the public's request during normal business hours. If a printed paper 
form 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 printed paper form will be provided.
3. Updates.  A law enforcement agency shall publish under subsection 2 a revision of 
a policy or procedure under subsection 1 within 60 days of the revision, including a revision 
required by state law or internal agency protocol.
4. Agency compliance. No later than January 1st of every 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.
SUMMARY
This bill requires law enforcement agencies, including the State Police, sheriff's 
departments and municipal police departments, to publish and make accessible their 
policies and procedures currently required by law on the agencies' publicly accessible 
websites and in printed paper form.  The bill requires a law enforcement agency to publish 
a revision to a policy or procedure within 60 days of the revision and to state the date of 
publishing of the policies and procedures.  The bill also requires that all law enforcement 
officers of a law enforcement agency receive orientation and training on the policies and 
procedures and for the chief administrative officer of the law enforcement agency to certify 
annually to the Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy that the agency 
is in compliance with the provisions in this bill.