PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine police officers must intervene when they see colleagues using unreasonable force, and also must report it to their superiors, according to standards adopted by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s board.

Those standards also spell out that chokeholds are banned except in rare instances when deadly force is authorized.

Maine law enforcement agencies are required to have written policies and procedures that conform with standards adopted by the academy’s 18-member Board of Trustees, Desjardins said.

Some departments may already address issues raised in the updated policies, but he said it was important to put them in writing to ensure all state agencies are on the same page.

Other policies include requiring officers to use de-escalation techniques whenever possible. They must monitor people in their custody for evidence of injury or medical distress, and must recognize the causes of delirium and the dangers of asphyxia. A summary of the board’s actions was signed by Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck and the presidents of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association and the Maine Sheriffs Association to present a united front when it comes to the polices.

They wrote that they remain committed to being transparent “and eliminating police cultures that condone any social injustices.”

“We will continue to enhance our training to include important topics, such as implicit bias, to ensure that we support a system that guarantees equal justice under the law to every Maine resident,” they wrote.

Departments must affirm each year that their policies comply with state minimum standards.