VASSALBORO, Maine — The Maine Criminal Justice Board of Trustees voted to adopt new academy codes of conduct and academy rules that govern the behavior and professionalism of police and correctional officers Monday.
The new rules hold all police and correctional officers to additional standards, requiring officers to maintain a certain level of professionalism while on duty.
To review the new rules, click here.
"We go to work understanding that there are very high expectations on us as members of the police department and in positions of public trust," board chair and Cumberland Police Chief Charles Rumsey said.
Rumsey explained that there have been several instances in the past where the complaint review committee has found an officer's actions or behavior to be "egregious" or unacceptable, but the committee may not have had the authority to hold the officer accountable for his or her actions.
"This is going to kind of increase the board's jurisdiction to consider complaints against certificate holders who previously would not have been subject to discipline by the academy because their conduct, while it may have harmed the public trust, wasn't criminal in nature," he said.
The new rules prohibit law enforcement officers from harassing citizens on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, and gender, from disclosing information they know or should know is confidential, falsifying information in official reports, possessing controlled substances including marijuana while on duty and more.
Violating the new rules could result in letters of guidance, letters of reprimand probation or even decertification.
"Up until now, the board has only been able to take action against a certificate holder, whether it's a police officer or a corrections officer, if they have committed a violation of Maine law," Rumsey said. "This brings in other categories of behavior that I think any member of the general public and probably any member of the union would agree that you shouldn't be harassing people. You shouldn't be in possession of drugs when that's in violation of federal law, and some of these other pretty obvious topics. I think if these rules are violated, it would harm the public trust."
Directors of police unions shared that they believe the rules are "cloaked in vagueness'' and take the boards authority one step too far.
In a letter to the board, the executive directors of both the Maine Association of Police and Maine State Law Enforcement Association Paul Gaspar and Kevin Anderson wrote, "The proposed rules engender both the complaint committee and board of trustees a veritably unchecked level of power."
Gaspar and Anderson also shared that they believe the rules potentially rob law enforcement officers of the right of due process when complaints are made against them.
To review the full joint response from police unions, click here.
Rumsey said there are already standards and resolutions set in place that ensure checks and balances for the board and the complaint review committee. He also added that any time an officer is disciplined, there is a consent agreement signed between the board and the officers.
He further added that there is a process of appeal if an officer is at risk of decertification.
The board reviewed 17 comments that were submitted by law enforcement officers and police union members.
The board decided not to make changes or modifications to the drafted code of conduct, with the exception of minor modifications that were made to clarify the implication of the word "know" or "knew" in number two section D, and changes that were made to further define information that is considered "confidential in number 2 section D."
"This codification of things that are already in most of our policies at our home departments that we shouldn't be doing any way," Rumsey said. "I don't suspect that it will cause [police and correctional officers] much pause and it shouldn't change the way they do business at all."
The adopted code of conduct will now be sent to the secretary of state's office for final review.