Every law enforcement agency in Maine has written policies that govern its work, including how officers decide to make or not make arrests, do or do not perform searches, and how officers are allowed to cooperate with other law enforcement agencies. These policies inform every aspect of how law enforcement performs their work. Maine’s legislature has acknowledged the importance of these policies to the public, and as of July 29, 2026, a new law means that Maine law enforcement agencies must make all of their policies available to the public.

Some police departments—such as Portland—make their policies easily available online. However, many agencies have not taken this proactive step. In an effort to ensure that people in Maine know how law enforcement go about their work, we asked seventeen of Maine’s largest police departments for their policies regarding arrests, the scope of their authority, use of interpreter services, immigration enforcement, and transportation of people in police custody.

Disclaimer: Each of the links below will lead you to a third-party site, DocumentCloud.

• Auburn Police Department Policies
• Augusta Police Department Policies
• Bangor Police Department Policies
• Biddeford Police Department Policies
• Brunswick Police Department Policies
• Caribou Police Department Policies
• Falmouth Police Department Policies
• Farmington Police Department Policies
• Gorham Police Department Policies
• Kennebunk Police Department Policies
• Lewiston Police Department Policies
• Saco Police Department Policies
• Scarborough Police Department Policies
• Waterville Police Department Policies
• Wells Police Department Policies
• Westbrook Police Department Policies
• Wiscasset Police Department Policies
• York Police Department Policies

Maine Criminal Justice Academy

We sent a similar request to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. The MCJA is part of the Maine Department of Public Safety. Its primary purpose is to train all Maine law enforcement officers; it also promulgates “minimum standards” on issues such as law enforcement’s use of force. Maine law allows federal agencies (including CBP or ICE) to enforce state law, if those agencies create policies outlining their proposed enforcement. MCJA has the power to approve or reject those proposed policies.

In June of 2003, the MCJA approved policy “S-32.” That policy allowed CBP and ICE officers to enforce state law only in emergencies or when a person’s life was in danger. This policy also made clear that CBP largely could not conduct traffic stops except in emergencies, and that CBP was still required to have probable cause “to initiate an immigration stop.”

2003 Policy.pdf (Note that this document refers to various INS officials. The Immigration and Naturalization Service was replaced by ICE in 2002.)

In September of 2025, nine months into President Trump’s second term, the MCJA approved a revised version of Policy S-32. This new policy purports to expand CBP’s and ICE’s authority in Maine. While the older policy made clear that CBP and ICE cannot conduct traffic stops in most circumstances, the new policy explicitly allows ICE and CBP to make traffic stops in Maine. MCJA approved this attempted expansion of federal authority when it was already well-established that the federal government was actively looking for more ways to arrest immigrants. However, this policy does not and cannot overrule the requirements of the Fourth Amendment; federal agents still must have reasonable suspicion or probable cause to justify conducting a traffic stop.

2025 Policy.pdf