New rules under consideration at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy represent a step forward in police accountability — for those relative few officers who fail to uphold their oath, and for any supervisor who may want to hide those actions from public view.

The draft rules, supported broadly by law enforcement, would expand the authority of the academy’s board of trustees, allowing them to discipline officers for behavior that is unethical and unprofessional but perhaps falls short of criminal.

The new code of conduct rules would allow the academy to discipline officers for, among other violations of the public trust, harassing someone because of their race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity; misrepresenting information or lying in connection with their duties as an officer; disclosing confidential information; possessing controlled substances; or engaging in conduct while on duty “that would significantly diminish the public’s confidence in them or law enforcement broadly.”

It would also allow discipline of administrators who fail to report or investigate officer misconduct.

The new rules are welcome. Officers of the law are given tremendous power, and no one caught abusing that power should be allowed to continue to wield it.