TOPICS
TOPICS
Legislation proposed to upgrade federal officers' status
A bill pending in Congress would upgrade the status of about 30,000 federal officers in more than two dozen agencies, allowing them to receive full law enforcement benefits and retirement.
The primary beneficiaries of the bill would be inspectors and officers in the Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureaus, whose duties include investigating and apprehending people and who are authorized to carry a gun. Internal Revenue Service revenue officers and police officers in the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments and the U.S. Mint would also be covered by the legislation.
The intent of the legislation is to allow federal officers with law enforcement responsibilities to receive the same retirement benefits as law enforcement officers. A law enforcement officer can retire after 20 years of service if they are 50 years old, or at any time if they have served for at least 25 years.
The Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act (H.R. 1002) is awaiting action in the House Government Reform Committee with the support of 109 co-sponsors.
Spokesman Drew Crockett said the committee is working on a broad reform measure for law enforcement officer pay and classification. No action has been taken on the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act, because the committee's chairman, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., and committee member Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., plan to introduce a bill incorporating various aspects of the legislation by the end of the year.
The legislation revises the definition of law enforcement officer under provisions in the Federal Employees Retirement System and the Civil Service Retirement System. Officers covered by the legislation would receive higher pay and be eligible for retirement earlier.
When similar legislation was first announced in 2003, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., said on the House floor that many of the inspectors and officers are called law enforcement officers only when "they are killed in the line of duty ... and that is a tragic irony."
Filner was referring to the fact that federal officers killed in the line of duty have their names engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall in Washington.
Charles Showalter, president of the American Federation of Government Employees' National Homeland Security Council said the bill was necessary for CBP and ICE to continue to recruiting officers. He estimated that about 18,000 CBP inspectors would be affected by the legislation.
"They wear the uniform, they carry the gun, they make the arrest, they testify in court, they put [themselves] in harm's way and protect the public interest," Showalter said. "These guys put their butts on the line every day."
Showalter said an agency might spend $200,000 training officers at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, only to see them leave for the U.S. Marshals Service or state and local agencies so they can receive full law enforcement benefits.
A spokesperson for CBP and ICE said they could not comment on pending legislation.
COMMENTS
- This is to "one of the 250 6c covered CBPO-E's": Dude, how soon you forget where you came from. You may be an Enforcement Officer now, but you haven't always been. How would you have felt if some covered employee sat there and told you that you didn't deserve to be covered?? That's bush league, brother. I work at an airport. But before I became a CBPO-E, I also did ship inspections in the middle of the night by myself, high risk private aircraft at night by myself, did transports of rowdy prisoners in poorly caged vehicles, NCIC arrests of people who DID NOT want to go to jail, etc. Seriously, get off the airport guys. We're not all stamping passports at LAX. CBP Enforcement Officer Posted January 19, 2008 2:32 PM
- I would really like to know where some of you are getting the idea that just because you are "covered", you all the sudden are subject to AUO and LEAP pay? The 6c coverage, which is now signed into law and effective July 2008, effects ONLY THE OFFICERS RETIREMENT. CBPO's will still be under COPRA (ie, double time/callback/commute etc.) AUO and LEAP pay is for ICE. CBP will NEVER use it. CBPO's will not be doing anything different on the job just because they are "covered." This info comes straight from the DFO and instructors at FLETC. "Covered" does not mean doing investigations, prosecutions and such. Enforcement Officers will continue to be responsible for these actions. CBP Enforcement Officer Posted January 19, 2008 2:20 PM
- if we are to get the 6c coverage, then cbp officers should get ready to think on thier feet and make sound judgement calls on thier own. in addition to holding them responsible for weight and uniform standards. i came from the federal bureau of prisons and i can honestly say that its embarassing when people ask me why we have so many fat bodies. the future of cbp is in the hands of the new officer that come in, because the "legacy" are not enforcement minded. i am not saying everybody is like that, but a large amount of officer i see are just here for easy money. for the love of god! when an officer doesnt even know the use-of-force continuum by heart, are scare to death to ever have to pull thier weapon, and always have to run for a supervisor, folks...we have a problem. majority of officer i see are way to soft to be able to handle any law enforcement capacity. so if cbp wants to see 6c,,toughen up butter cup! edward vasquez Posted November 22, 2007 5:01 AM
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