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To the Editor:
If you read recent newspaper articles focused on discipline within the Maine State Police you were likely left thinking we conduct our work shrouded in secrecy and that we work to protect our own. As the leader of the Maine State Police, I’d like to take the opportunity to set the record straight:
The Maine State Police does not hide wrongdoing and does not choose to keep certain information related to discipline secret. We follow longstanding laws related to personnel investigation and records related to all state employees that have been implemented and refined across time. There are clear rules about what can be released to the public regarding state employees. M.R.S.A. Title 5 §7070 outlines that final discipline decisions can be released to the public. However, it does not authorize the release of investigative details. Thus, when we were asked for our discipline records for the past five years, the Maine State Police provided those records to the media as allowed by law. My concern is there was a missed opportunity to educate the public on what laws are in place that restricts reporting. Instead, the stories described the lack of detail as “secrecy” and a discretionary policy decision by our agency.