Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §8901, sub-§§4 and 5 are enacted to read:

4.__Training.__Any forest ranger and the state supervisor authorized under subsection 3 to perform the duties of law enforcement officers must successfully meet and maintain the training standards and requirements for other state law enforcement officers as established in Title 25, chapter 341.

5.__Equipment.__Any forest ranger and the state supervisor who has successfully completed the training required under subsection 4 may be issued personal protective equipment, including, but not limited to, body armor, handcuffs, pepper spray, firearms, magazines, magazine holders, duty belts, ammunition and other related materiel for the protection of the public, the forest ranger and the state supervisor.

Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1997, c. 678, §21, is further amended to read:

1. Exemption. The training standards and requirements of this chapter do not apply to the persons defined by this chapter as law enforcement officers who are:

A. Employees of the Department of Corrections with a duty to perform probation functions or to perform intensive supervision functions; or

B. Agents or representatives of the Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands, whose law enforcement powers are limited to those specified in Title 12, section 1821; or.

C. Agents or representatives of the Department of Conservation, Bureau of Forestry, whose law enforcement powers are limited to those specified by Title 12, section 8901, subsection 3.

Sec. 3. PL 1999, c. 352, §§3 and 4 are repealed.

SUMMARY

Under this bill, law enforcement officers within the Department of Conservation, Division of Forest Protection are required to have training equivalent to other law enforcement personnel and are authorized to use personal protective equipment.

This bill also repeals the provision that requires the Commissioner of Conservation to sell bullet-proof vests, firearms and related equipment for the use of certain Bureau of Forestry employees and the provision that prohibits the commissioner from purchasing similar equipment.