Men and women hoping to protect and serve in Maine as reserve officers or deputies will be required to complete several new requirements before they can qualify.
Now, reserve officers must complete a program of 100 hours of classroom training on the law and how to enforce it before they have the authority to make arrests and carry service weapons. They also must get hands-on instruction in day-to-day law enforcement, such as wielding a collapsible baton, using pepper spray and handcuffing a suspect.
Such training will be the norm for all new reserves in Maine, starting next month. Also, reserve officers will have to complete a 40-hour online course, meet a physical fitness requirement, then take 80 hours of practical instruction, before serving under a field training officer for another 80 hours.
Full-time officers must complete an 18-week course at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
Source: Portland Press Herald
