The district attorney’s office announced a new policy that will require law enforcement agencies to turn over evidence so investigators can consider charges.
Updated May 27
Cumberland County prosecutors will start considering charges in every car crash that injures a pedestrian or cyclist, the district attorney’s office announced Wednesday.
Under a new policy, all law enforcement agencies in the county will be expected to preserve and turn over evidence collected from motor vehicle accidents that result in injuries to people who are walking or biking.
The policy comes after “the deadliest year on record” for pedestrians in Cumberland County in 2025, according to a news release from District Attorney Jacqueline Sartoris.
Portland city officials have also faced mounting pressure to address a spike in pedestrian deaths and injuries — five people were killed and 30 people were seriously injured in 2025.
While the city adopted a plan to eliminate pedestrian deaths last year, advocates have said bolder action is necessary to prevent future crashes.
During a news conference Wednesday in Lincoln Park, Sartoris said state law currently only requires that police send cases to the district attorney’s office when officers believe there’s probable cause for a criminal or civil violation to be filed. This step, she said, would ensure that every case involving an injury or death of a pedestrian is sent to her office for review.
Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said the policy is a good opportunity for prosecutors to consider more serious charges for drivers. He said he’s concerned about increasing numbers of traffic violations and dangerous driving across the county.
This decision won’t change much for his deputies, who already inform the district attorney’s office about fatal crashes. But he said having deputies refer more cases could add to prosecutors’ already high caseloads.
Portland police spokesperson Brad Nadeau said city police already forward investigative reports for motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists to the district attorney’s office and that the announcement “will not change how we do business.”
When asked about that during the news conference, Sartoris responded that her office only receives state crash reports, and does not receive witness statements and a more thorough report.
“I know the officers out there are doing the work,” she said. “We’re not asking them to do more work, we’re just asking them to upload that info to my office so we can take the steps that only we can really take to hold people accountable.”
She said her office fields few cases relating to pedestrian crashes, and that she continues to hear from the public about cases where specific violations have occurred, and nothing has happened.
Sartoris also urged pedestrians or cyclists who believe accidents within the last three years should have resulted in a criminal or civil violation to reach out to her office.
Andrew Zarro, the executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, has been an outspoken critic of Maine’s existing infrastructure and has participated in neighborhood projects to calm traffic. He said Wednesday that the spring weather has already led to a spike in accidents involving cyclists, and that the continued “traffic violence” is a “public health crisis and serious justice issue.”
“This policy is a bold step in that direction,” he said. “It declares that when a person is walking or biking and they’re hurt on our roads, that incident deserves serious investigation.”
Sartoris’ announcement comes less than two weeks before the Democratic primary on June 9. She faces Valerie Adams, one of her former prosecutors who has been critical of her leadership.
In response to a question about the timing of the press conference, Sartoris said, “The pursuit of justice doesn’t stop just because there’s a campaign. I did this for the people whose lives have been affected by a lack of enforcement.”
Sartoris said she consistently hears frustration from police chiefs about traffic court and a lack of accountability for motorists violating the rules, but said, “that can’t be a reason to do nothing.”
She said the current system only looks for criminal charges in these types of crashes, but that there are civil violations on the books that are rarely, if ever, used. They can carry fines of up to $5,000 or loss of license for up to four years.