Legislature debates bill about pretextual traffic stops
Opponents of LD 417 An Act To Protect Maine s Drivers from Pretextual Traffic Stops say it deters profiling; opponents say it hinders good policing. Author: Hannah Dineen (NEWS CENTER Maine) Published: 8:15 PM EDT June 16, 2021 Updated: 8:46 PM EDT June 16, 2021
AUGUSTA, Maine A bill is working its way through the Maine Legislature that would change how police are able to interact with drivers who they ve pulled over for a traffic stop.
Proponents like Rep. Charlotte Warren (D) say the bill would deter profiling. This bill is about fairness. This bill does not take a single tool away, Warren argued in a House debate on Tuesday, June 15.
Updated April 29
Maine lawmakers could limit or eliminate legal protection for law enforcement
The Legislature heard opposing arguments Thursday on bills to change qualified immunity, a legal standard that protects police officers from lawsuits.
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Legislators in Maine have joined lawmakers in more than two dozen states and the U.S. Congress in considering ending or limiting qualified immunity, the legal defense often used to shield police officers from lawsuits.
Qualified immunity has no bearing on whether a prosecutor charges a police officer with a crime, but it does affect whether that officer can be sued for civil rights violations. The U.S. Supreme Court created the concept more than 50 years ago to protect government employees from frivolous litigation, but it has expanded in case law over decades. It has come under new scrutiny, especially since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, as activists push for greater accountability when police officers use
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AUGUSTA The growing number of drug overdose deaths has the city planning to further partner with the state to reach out to drug users, and their loved ones, to try to save lives.
And in some cases it may even mean helping people with substance use disorder use illegal drugs more safely, with harm reduction strategies.
City councilors met Thursday with the state’s Opioid Response Project Manager Rowland Robinson who offered the city the use of the state’s OPTIONS initiative media campaign materials on city social media, CTV-7 television station and other city outlets.
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The OPTIONS initiative which stands for Overdose Prevention Through Intensive Outreach, Naloxone and Safety is a state program introduced last year by Gov. Janet Mills to assist those suffering from substance use disorders and curb fatal opioid drug overdoses.
Augusta may tap state resources to reach out to residents with substance use problems centralmaine.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from centralmaine.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Help for drug addiction coming to streets of Augusta
A state-funded partnership with the Augusta Police Department will bring a behavioral health clinician to connect people with substance use disorder to resources meant to address addiction.
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Jasmine Daniels poses Thursday outside the Augusta Police station. The licensed behavioral health clinician will work with law enforcement to help meet the needs of individuals with substance use disorder.
Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA Help is coming to the streets of Augusta for those addicted to drugs and ready to seek help, part of efforts to fight the opioid epidemic and prevent it from taking still more lives than it already has.