It would take a lot of guts for Maine lawmakers to stand up to pressure from the governor and investigate charges of overzealous policing by the Maine Warden Service. But they should find the strength.

Citizens need someone to get answers when they feel that they have been abused by a heavy handed government agency. If the Legislature won’t look out for the rights of Maine people, who will?

On May, 8, this newspaper published accounts of people in the town of Allagash, who felt they had been unfairly targeted in an undercover sting operation by the Maine Warden Service that culminated in a military-style raid in which homes were searched, property seized and lives disrupted. The whole thing was recorded by two camera crews from “North Woods Law,” a reality-TV show that turns real-life law enforcement officers into entertainers.

What’s worse, the targets of the raid say they were investigated by an undercover agent who encouraged them to break the law by breaking it himself, drinking with them while hunting and even illegally shooting a deer to get them to follow along.

Whoever ignores complaints of official oppression like this should plan to be on the receiving end of it some day. These are serious charges. The best way for police agencies to refute them is with transparency. The Maine Warden Service has responded with silence.

During a six-month investigation by reporter Colin Woodard, the wardens involved in the Allagash raid and their supervisors refused to be interviewed and tell their side of the story. They would only accept questions in writing and those were answered perfunctorily or not at all. They won’t say whether it’s legal for an undercover agent to supply targets with alcohol. They won’t say how much the Allagash operation cost taxpayers.

A legal request under the state’s Freedom of Access law for emails between the wardens and the television producers was never fulfilled. A requested wardens service undercover-work policy manual was turned over with 15 out of 16 pages almost completely blacked out. It appears that the department spent more time resisting the public records law than complying with it.

To date, the only response from the department is a lengthy press release. A government agency should never have to hide behind a written statement. Responsible leaders go before the public and fully answer questions, including follow up questions. Anything less is a dodge.

Now other Mainers are coming forward to say that they were also targeted in sting operations by the Maine Warden Service involving the same undercover agent. They also say he supplied beer and drank with them, drove with a loaded gun and shot a deer illegally, encouraging them to do the same.

LePage made news last week claiming that the Telegram’s story proves that the media is biased against him, even though Woodard’s story never mentioned the governor. After initially expressing some concern about the conduct alleged by the people of Allagash, LePage has since taken a hard line, attacking the newspaper and putting pressure on lawmakers to look the other way, too. That would be a huge mistake.

Whether you believe the targets or the wardens, you have to acknowledge that there is a legitimate controversy about what happened. There is also a dispute over whether some investigative techniques are appropriate even if they may be legal.

This is where the lawmakers have to stand up. Several committees could have jurisdiction on these issues. The Judiciary Committee oversees right-to-know practices; Inland Fisheries and Wildlife oversees the warden service; Criminal Justice looks at police matters. Another candidate would be the Government Affairs Committee, which works with the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, the state’s in-house watchdog organization.

It will be up to bipartisan legislative leadership to agree on a process that has integrity.

The leaders of the House and Senate should decide which committee, or combination of committees, would find the facts and get answers from the warden service, under subpoena if necessary.

This won’t be easy to do in an election year, but Maine people deserve to know what their government is doing. Lawmakers should not back down.

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