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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
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."