Larry Cosme, National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) – the nation’s largest non-partisan, non-for-profit professional association representing more than 31,000 federal law enforcement officers and agents across 65 federal agencies – released the following statement applauding House lawmakers for reintroducing the Law Enforcement Officer Fair Retirement Act and the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act:
“Federal law enforcement agencies are struggling to recruit and retain qualified personnel to support their critical missions. As federal law enforcement officers and agents are increasingly villainized, fewer and fewer qualified candidates are willing to serve. Given this reality, it is critical lawmakers step up and speak out in support of law enforcement. But it does not end there, lawmakers must also put their money where their mouth is and support legislation that supports law enforcement,” FLEOA President Cosme said. “Representative Pascrell is leading by example with the introduction of both the Law Enforcement Officer Fair Retirement Act and the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act– two bills that are absolutely essential to making federal law enforcement a desirable career.”
“First, the LEO Equity Act would expand the definition of law enforcement officer under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to ensure all federal law enforcement officers may receive the appropriate retirement benefits,” Cosme said.
“Federal law enforcement officers and agents across some 65 federal agencies undergo similar training, have similar arrest authorities, and use similar investigative techniques tailored to their agency’s mission. Most importantly, they all put their lives on the line for the safety and security of the American people. Despite the many things that unify federal law enforcement regardless of agency, there is a great divide between the pay and benefits available to certain federal law enforcement due to an archaic definition of what it means to be a ‘law enforcement officer’ under federal retirement law,” Cosme furthered. “We applaud Representatives Pascrell, Fitzpatrick, Garbarino, and Connolly for reintroducing the LEO Equity Act to rectify this error and ensure all federal law enforcement are eligible for the benefits they have rightfully earned. At a time when federal law enforcement agencies are struggling to recruit and retain personnel, this bill is critical.”
Cosme continued, “The LEO Fair Retirement Act would permit federal law enforcement officers and agents to contribute their full compensation–including for overtime worked without compensation due to the pay cap–toward their CSRS/FERS retirement annuity calculation.”
“The current federal retirement system penalizes officers who work beyond their normal hours to ensure the safety and security of the American people. This has a negative impact on morale within law enforcement and disincentivizes dedicated service. The LEO Fair Retirement Act would end this inequity by making an officer’s full salary fully creditable for retirement purposes. This is a small but significant step toward addressing a legacy of disparate treatment for federal law enforcement professionals. We applaud Representatives Pascrell, Bacon, Fitzpatrick, and Connolly for reintroducing this bill and supporting federal law enforcement,” Cosme said.
“Now more than ever, lawmakers need to demonstrate their support of law enforcement with fair and commonsense reforms that value the hard work of officers and agents. We urge Congress to act on it swiftly on these two legislative initiatives and look forward to working with lawmakers on these, and more, law enforcement priorities this Congress,” Cosme concluded.
