The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association has again asked the Office of Personnel Management to apply President Donald Trump’s proposed 3.8 percent 2027 pay increase to all federal law enforcement officers and agents, and to make whole those shut out of the 2026 special-rate adjustment.
On Aug. 26 the president issued an Alternative Pay Plan that would freeze 2027 General Schedule base and locality rates at 2026 levels while directing OPM to use special salary authority for a 3.8 percent increase for law enforcement personnel. FLEOA said that step recognizes staffing shortages. OPM has not published the full list of agencies and job series that will qualify. The agency has said 2027 coverage should be broader than this year’s special rates, which depended heavily on individual agency requests.
“The decision to provide a 3.8 percent increase recognizes a problem FLEOA has been raising for years: the federal government cannot recruit and retain the best law enforcement professionals if their compensation fails to keep pace with the responsibilities, hours, and risks of the job,” said FLEOA Executive Director Michael Hughes. “Now the focus is on ensuring that no federal officers or agents are arbitrarily left behind simply because of the agency they serve or the title attached to their position.”
FLEOA put that case in an Aug. 31 letter to OPM Director Scott Kupor. The group said investigators, inspector general agents, uniformed federal police, correctional officers, protective-service officers and other federal law enforcement professionals all support public safety and should not see pay turn on which patch they wear. Leaders also raised Title 5 problems during National Police Week in May, arguing the current system compresses pay and discourages officers from taking supervisor jobs. Uneven raises after 9/11, the association said, improved hiring at some agencies while draining others.
“FLEOA is committed to ensuring the federal government does not repeat the pay disparities created by the application of the 2026 pay increase, and that any pay increase for 2027 is implemented equitably across the entire federal law enforcement community,” Hughes said. “Whether you are a criminal investigator, OIG special agent, uniformed federal police officer, correctional officer, protective-service officer, or other federal law enforcement professional, your mission contributes to the safety and security of this nation, and your agency patch should not determine whether your service is valued differently in your paycheck. We will continue the fight to ensure that no federal law enforcement officer is left behind.”
FLEOA represents more than 34,000 registered members across more than 65 agencies. It does not endorse parties or candidates. OPM still has to define who is “law enforcement” for the 2027 special rate. Until that list is out, the raise is a plan, not a paycheck.
