# Maine

Maine’s Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy certifies law enforcement, corrections, and, since 2025, probation and parole officers, and “may” suspend or revoke a certificate. Since 2023 the State has required background-investigation results to be shared with an officer’s employer, made final disciplinary decisions state their reasons, adopted a Standards of Conduct rule, required Brady/Giglio policies, and required agencies to publish their conduct rules by 2027. Most Maine laws take effect 90 days after the session ends; entries here are dated by effective date.

Source: https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/maine

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA). It certifies full-time and part-time law enforcement officers, adult and juvenile corrections officers, and, since 2025, probation and parole officers. Its complaint review committee investigates certificate holders ([25 M.R.S. §§ 2801-A, 2802, 2803-A, 2805-C](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/25/title25ch341sec0.html)).
- **Statute:** 25 M.R.S. chapter 341 (§§ 2801 to 2809), Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Board rules: 16-227 C.M.R. chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, and 15 ([MCJA rulemaking](https://www.maine.gov/dps/dps/mcja/about/board/rulemaking)).
- **Minimum standards:** Officers must complete Board-approved preservice or basic training (§§ 2804-B, 2804-C). By Board rule, basic-training applicants need a high school diploma or a GED or HiSET score, must be 21 (with an education exception), and must meet medical and fitness standards. Convictions for murder or Class A to D crimes are disqualifying, with a waiver possible. Applicants must pass a state and FBI fingerprint check, a good-moral-character background investigation, a polygraph, a psychological suitability evaluation, and an oral interview ([16-227 C.M.R. ch. 3](https://www.maine.gov/dps/sites/maine.gov.dps/files/inline-files/227c003-2025-238%20%28AMD%29.pdf)). Since 2023, an agency must release background-investigation and polygraph results indicating criminal activity to the agency that employs the officer (§ 2805-B).
- **Decertification:** The Board “may” refuse to issue, modify, suspend, or revoke a certificate, or impose civil penalties up to $1,500. Grounds include failing certification requirements, Class A to D crimes, conduct amounting to such crimes even without conviction, falsification, gross deviation from Board standards, listed sexual misconduct, and violation of the Standards of Conduct rule ([§ 2806-A(5)](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/25/title25sec2806-A.html)). The Board may summarily suspend or revoke for listed convictions. A revoked officer may seek reinstatement only if the cause was not murder or a Class A to C crime, 3 years have passed, and a law enforcement or corrections agency has committed to hire the person (§ 2806-A(9)). A chief who knows of a conviction or conduct that could lead to suspension or revocation must notify the MCJA Director within 30 days (§ 2807).
- **Public decertification list:** No statutory list. Complaint materials are confidential, but Board hearings are public, and hearing-officer and Board decisions with findings are public records (§ 2806-A(10)). The MCJA posts a [Board Cases Public List](https://www.maine.gov/dps/sites/maine.gov.dps/files/inline-files/Board%20Cases%20Public%20List%20as%20of%20June%203%2C%202026.pdf) (as of June 3, 2026) showing case number, officer name, agency, certificate type, allegation, and outcome.
- **National Decertification Index:** None found. No section of 25 M.R.S. chapter 341 names the Index, and none was found in the Board rules posted by the MCJA.
- **Continuing training:** Continued employment requires Board-prescribed in-service training, including new laws, court decisions, and enforcement practices; failure is grounds to suspend or revoke ([§ 2804-E](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/25/title25sec2804-E.html)). The Board must review certifications each year by March 31 and “shall” decertify officers who do not meet the requirements (§ 2806-A(5)(A)). Corrections officers (§ 2804-F) and, since July 1, 2025, probation and parole officers (§ 2804-N) have parallel in-service duties.

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Jul 29, 2026 — **Agencies must publish their policies and officer conduct rules by 2027** — P.L. 2025, c. 510 (LD 1784), enacting 25 M.R.S. §§ 2801-A(4-A), 2803-B(8), 2808-B; amended by P.L. 2025, c. 757, Part C (LD 1004) · c. 510 became law without the Governor’s signature January 11, 2026; c. 757 approved April 16, 2026; effective July 29, 2026 (general effective date for the session that adjourned April 29, 2026; computed for c. 510, which the Governor held); publication deadline January 1, 2027 — Each law enforcement agency must publish its § 2803-B policies in clear language, with a summary of each key policy, a complete list of the rules and guidelines governing officer conduct, and contact information. Publication may be online with no barriers, or as a paper copy at headquarters provided within 7 business days on request, for a reasonable fee. Confidential intelligence and investigative records are excluded. Agencies must give orientation and training on their policies, and chiefs certify compliance to the Board each January 1. Chapter 757 moved the deadline from 2026 to 2027. — **For officers:** By January 1, 2027, the public can read the conduct rules your agency holds you to. — [P.L. 2025, c. 510](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=121755)[P.L. 2025, c. 757](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=124326)
- Dec 10, 2025 — **Polygraph and psychological screening extended to preservice applicants; probation and parole training program** — 16-227 C.M.R. ch. 3 (filing 2025-238) and ch. 5 (filing 2025-239) · Effective December 10, 2025; the ch. 3 polygraph and psychological requirements apply from July 1, 2026 — Chapter 3: from July 1, 2026, applicants to the Law Enforcement Pre-Service Training Program must pass a polygraph under the Board’s “Police Applicant Polygraph Testing” manual (effective January 1, 2026) and a psychological suitability evaluation. Both already applied to the full-time basic program. The chapter adds a HiSET pathway and admission standards for the Basic Probation and Parole Training Program. Chapter 5 sets the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at 720 hours, gives a provisional certificate of eligibility to employed full-time students who met preservice requirements, and creates the 200-hour Basic Probation and Parole Training Program. — **For officers:** Since July 1, 2026, part-time and reserve applicants in the preservice program must pass a polygraph and a psychological evaluation. — [16-227 C.M.R. ch. 3](https://www.maine.gov/dps/sites/maine.gov.dps/files/inline-files/227c003-2025-238%20%28AMD%29.pdf)[16-227 C.M.R. ch. 5](https://www.maine.gov/dps/sites/maine.gov.dps/files/inline-files/227c005-2025-239%20%28AMD%29.pdf)
- Sep 24, 2025 — **Use of force in corrections and prisoner transport recodified, and tied to Board training** — P.L. 2025, c. 429 (LD 1710), repealing 17-A M.R.S. § 107(5), (5-A), enacting § 107-A, amending 25 M.R.S. § 2804-F · Approved June 27, 2025; effective September 24, 2025 (general effective date; no emergency clause) — New § 107-A governs nondeadly and deadly force by corrections officers, supervisors, transport officers, and law enforcement officers responsible for people in custody, including during transport, and by private persons they direct. A corrections officer or supervisor is not justified in using or directing force under § 107-A without Board in-service training for that setting under § 2804-F(5). The Board must create that additional certification for officers who transport prisoners outside facilities. The facility deadly-force and Maine State Prison escape rules were moved from former § 107 and are not new. — **For officers:** If you transport prisoners, the force you may lawfully use depends on completing the Board’s transport training. — [P.L. 2025, c. 429](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=120690)[17-A M.R.S. § 107-A](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/17-A/title17-Asec107-A.html)
- Sep 24, 2025 — **Agencies must adopt Brady/Giglio policies and policies on mandatory disclosure to the Academy** — P.L. 2025, c. 219 (LD 1607), enacting 25 M.R.S. § 2803-B(1)(P), (Q) · Approved June 9, 2025; effective September 24, 2025 (general effective date; no emergency clause); policy deadline January 1, 2026 — By January 1, 2026, every law enforcement agency must have written policies on helping prosecutors meet their disclosure duties under *Brady v. Maryland* and *Giglio v. United States*, and on complying with mandatory disclosures to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. The Board sets minimum standards for mandatory policies, and chiefs certify compliance each year (§ 2803-B(2), (3)). — **For officers:** Your agency must have a written policy for passing credibility information to prosecutors. — [P.L. 2025, c. 219](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=119456)[25 M.R.S. § 2803-B](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/25/title25sec2803-B.html)
- Nov 24, 2024 — **Board Standards of Conduct rule sets discipline grounds for certificate holders** — 16-227 C.M.R. ch. 15, Standards of Conduct (filing 2024-262) · Effective November 24, 2024, per the rule’s history note — Certificate holders and applicants must keep a professional demeanor, be truthful, treat all persons with dignity, and obey the law. Unprofessional conduct includes harassment based on a protected class; untruthfulness in obtaining a certificate or in official duties, except deception in interviews and interrogations; unauthorized disclosure of confidential information; on-duty or uniformed conduct that significantly diminishes public confidence; and possessing controlled substances, including marijuana, in violation of federal law. A chief also commits unprofessional conduct by failing to report under § 2807, failing to investigate and report within 30 days when the Board asks in writing, or knowingly allowing a subordinate’s sanctionable conduct. The posted rule shows no earlier version; the statutory authority for it dates from 2021. — **For officers:** Possessing marijuana is unprofessional conduct under this rule, even though adult use is legal under Maine law. — [16-227 C.M.R. ch. 15](https://www.maine.gov/dps/sites/maine.gov.dps/files/inline-files/227c015.pdf)
- Aug 9, 2024 — **Probation and parole officers brought under Academy certification** — P.L. 2023, c. 525 (LD 2045), amending 25 M.R.S. §§ 2801-A, 2801-B, 2803-A(5-C) and enacting §§ 2804-M, 2804-N · Approved March 6, 2024; effective August 9, 2024 (general effective date; no emergency clause); training and certification required from July 1, 2025 — The Board had to set training and certification standards for Department of Corrections probation and parole officers by July 1, 2025. From that date, new probation and parole officers must complete a Board-approved basic course within 12 months (extendable 180 days) and keep certification. In-service training is required, and failing it is grounds to suspend or revoke. Incumbent officers were provisionally certified until October 1, 2025, pending a transfer application. — **For officers:** Probation and parole officers now hold an Academy certificate that the Board can suspend or revoke. — [P.L. 2023, c. 525](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=105860)
- Apr 11, 2024 — **Corrections sexual-misconduct findings may be disclosed to the alleged victim** — P.L. 2023, c. 615 (LD 2250), amending 5 M.R.S. § 7070(2)(E), (F) and enacting 30-A M.R.S. § 503(1-B) · Approved April 11, 2024; effective on approval (emergency clause) — For allegations of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment in State correctional facilities and county jails, the determination (substantiated, unsubstantiated, or unfounded) may be disclosed to the alleged victim. Unless the allegation is unfounded, the victim may also be told whether the employee is still assigned there or employed, and whether the employee was criminally charged, convicted, or declined for prosecution. — **For officers:** If you work in a jail or prison, the outcome of a sexual-misconduct complaint against you may be shared with the person who made it. — [P.L. 2023, c. 615](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=107059)
- Oct 25, 2023 — **Defense attorney added to the Board; agencies must protect attorney-client communications** — P.L. 2023, c. 394, Part A, §§ 6 to 10 (LD 1603), amending 25 M.R.S. §§ 2802, 2803-B(1)(O), 2804-C(2-G) · Became law without the Governor’s signature July 6, 2023; effective October 25, 2023 (general effective date; no emergency clause) — The Board grows from 18 to 19 members, adding an attorney who represents criminal defendants. By January 1, 2024, every agency must adopt a written policy protecting confidential attorney-client communications, including steps after a breach. From January 1, 2024, basic training must cover that confidentiality. — **For officers:** Your agency must have a written policy protecting confidential attorney-client communications. — [P.L. 2023, c. 394](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=103356)
- Oct 25, 2023 — **Separate certification for adult and juvenile corrections officers** — P.L. 2023, c. 341 (LD 42), amending 25 M.R.S. §§ 2801-A, 2803-A(5), (5-B), 2804-D · Approved June 28, 2023; effective October 25, 2023 (general effective date; no emergency clause) — The act defines adult and juvenile corrections officers. The Board must set separate training and certification standards for juvenile corrections officers in state juvenile facilities and may approve a separate juvenile basic course. Officers already certified are certified as adult or juvenile according to their employer. Board rule chapter 5 now sets a 200-hour Juvenile Basic Corrections Training Program. — **For officers:** Juvenile corrections officers now hold their own certificate type. — [P.L. 2023, c. 341](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=103229)
- Oct 25, 2023 — **Public disciplinary decisions must state the conduct and the reasons** — P.L. 2023, c. 159 (LD 1397), amending 5 M.R.S. § 7070(2)(E) and 30-A M.R.S. § 503(1)(B)(5) · Approved June 12, 2023; effective October 25, 2023 (general effective date; no emergency clause) — For State, county, and municipal employees, including police, the final written decision imposing or upholding discipline was already public. It must now state the conduct or other facts on which the discipline is based and the reasons for it. — **For officers:** A final disciplinary decision against you is public and must say what you did and why you were disciplined. — [P.L. 2023, c. 159](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=101880)[30-A M.R.S. § 503](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/30-A/title30-Asec503.html)
- Oct 25, 2023 — **Background-investigation results must be shared with an officer’s employer** — P.L. 2023, c. 84 (LD 96), amending 25 M.R.S. § 2805-B(4)(B), (5) · Approved May 15, 2023; effective October 25, 2023 (general effective date; no emergency clause) — The applicant’s records-release waiver now covers background-investigation information as well as polygraph results. When a background investigation or polygraph indicates probable cause that an officer is or has been involved in criminal activity, the head of the agency that conducted it must release the results to the head of the agency that employs the officer. Before, only polygraph results had to be released. The releasing agency head is immune from civil or criminal liability. — **For officers:** If another agency’s background check finds signs of criminal activity, your current employer will be told. — [P.L. 2023, c. 84](https://legislature.maine.gov/ros/LawsOfMaine/breeze/Law/getDocById/?docId=100218)[25 M.R.S. § 2805-B](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/25/title25sec2805-B.html)

## Not yet in force and pending

- **Published conduct rules (c. 510, c. 757):** agencies must publish by January 1, 2027.

These bills were not enacted: LD 1671 (132nd, disclosure of officer credibility information; Ought Not to Pass, February 10, 2026), LD 1295 (out-of-state training waiver; Ought Not to Pass, April 23, 2025), LD 1980 (officer recruitment, retention, and wellness; died on adjournment April 29, 2026), LD 523 (Attorney General review of officer-involved shootings; withdrawn March 11, 2025), LD 639 (officer training; died between houses May 27, 2025), and LD 748 (131st, due process for people in custody). No Maine bill on officer face coverings or visible identification was found.

For laws without an emergency clause, the effective dates are the general effective dates the Legislature announced for each session (October 25, 2023; August 9, 2024; September 24, 2025; July 29, 2026); the c. 510 date is still computed, because that law was held by the Governor and became law in the 2026 session. The Secretary of State’s former rules index could not be reached, so Board rule filings from 2023 to 2026 were checked against the chapters posted by the MCJA.

## Checked and unchanged

- 25 M.R.S. § 2806-A (decertification grounds, penalties, public decisions): last amended by P.L. 2021, c. 255 and c. 647.
- 25 M.R.S. § 2807 (chief’s 30-day report): last amended 2013. § 2805-C (complaint review committee): last amended 2021.
- Not counted: 16-227 C.M.R. ch. 13 (domestic-abuse policy standards, 2024) and P.L. 2025, c. 344 (sex-trafficking policy) add agency policies outside the topics tracked here. P.L. 2023, c. 235 concerns domestic violence policy and complainants’ copies, not officer records.
- Not counted: P.L. 2023, c. 675, § 8 amended § 2804-C(2-E), on training for handling dangerous weapons received under court orders. P.L. 2023, c. 242 added tribal governments and the Indian police academy to the § 2808 training-cost sharing rules.