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Maine State Police Chief John Cote is responding to a series of stories last week in the Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland Press Herald and Bangor Daily News that pointed to a lack of detail when State Police release information about the discipline of state troopers to the public.
Maine State Police respond to newspaper allegations of 'secretive' practices Maine State Police Col. John Cote released a lengthy rebuttal to ‘set the record straight’ a week after the investigative report was published Author: Hannah Dineen (NEWS CENTER Maine), NEWS CENTER Maine Staff Published: 8:24 PM EDT April 26, 2021 Updated: 11:14 PM EDT April 26, 2021 AUGUSTA, Maine — One week after the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and Bangor Daily News published their Pulitzer Center-funded investigation into the Maine State Police...
Our View: Maine State Police should stop hiding officer misconduct records An overly strict interpretation of state law leads the agency to cut short investigations, obscure findings and destroy records that should be public. By The Editorial Board Share Police departments all over the country are being challenged to demonstrate their respect for the law and commitment to public service, as new videos of overaggressive policing and excessive force become an almost daily feature on the national news. But here in Maine, the State Police appear comfortable keeping the public in the dark. The s...
A trooper hit his wife. The Maine State Police sent him to rehab A woman who was married to a state trooper says it took weeks for the agency to take seriously her reports of domestic violence. Share Amy Burns is the ex-wife of former Maine State Police trooper Justin Cooley, who faces three criminal charges related to alleged domestic abuse in 2019. When she reported the abuse to the state police, she claims that the commanders either did not want to hear it, or they did not believe her, and they failed to intervene and stop the domestic violence. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
Details of hidden misconduct raise doubts about discipline within Maine State Police An investigation into discipline cases concealed by the agency finds examples of inadequate punishments, some experts say. By Erin Rhoda, Matt Byrne and Callie Ferguson Photo illustration by Coralie Cross/Bangor Daily News This is the second of three stories jointly investigated and written by the Portland Press Herald and Bangor Daily News about how the Maine State Police conceals officer wrongdoing. The Pulitzer Center helped fund the project. One Maine State Police trooper hindered an investigation i...