Return to Article: Security agency to eliminate millions in retention allowances
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20850
ICE aka "In Chapter Eleven!"
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20351
Here is the reality folks, the fiscal problems FPS now faces are the result of questionable management decisions. It is worth noting that ICE is trying to treat the FPS difficulties as an isolated problem, but they are not. Anyone who knows anything about this situation knows that when INS (DRO) was a separate agency they were always in the hole. Now they are solvent and FPS is broke. They also know that a large part of this problem arose from the mismanagement and poor planning done during the transition, yet the same people who couldn't get it right then are still in charge now. ICE is also being disingenuous when they say that nothing can be done without congressional involvement. Everyone knows that FPS pays ICE for legal, personnel, and financial support, yet FPS legal, personnel, and financial actions languish in the various ICE areas of responsibilities due to "staffing cuts." Maybe the first step in fixing this problem is to put everything on the table, including rent and what FPS pays ICE. Let's see an analysis that shows if what FPS is being charged for these services is fair and reasonable or not. If ICE were serious about fixing this problem, that would appear to be a crucial first step.
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20136
Dear Retired Colleague in Yuma:
When I was drafted into ICE from Customs I had the option of getting my former Customs special agent badge embedded in Lucite, but I had to pay for it myself. Many agents have fled ICE from my office since its inception by retiring, and they were given a handshake, a letter from Ms. Forman and the standard wristwatch. The ICE attorney you spoke to is misinformed. Your RAC or SAC would know better, and if not, they should contact someone in HQS to get an answer. Thank you for your service, and enjoy your well-deserved retirement!
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19987
After 24.9 years of federal law enforcement I retired from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in October 2006. I came from the legacy U.S. Customs Service. When I retired I only got my stamped "retired" old Customs credentials. One recent retired ICE special agent told me he got two Lucite badges (ICE and Customs), one enlarged retired ICE badge, his two credentials (ICE and Customs), a plaque and a letter from ICE/HQ. When I inquired with an ICE attorney, he told me ICE does not issue the above items. Can someone tell me what we get from ICE after serving our country for almost 25 years (U.S. government) and five as a city cop.
Retired ICE Special Agent
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19901
A writer earlier mentioned the following: "My best advice to the 1811s and officers impacted by this issue: find a better-paying LEO job."
Guess what, we had faith in the agency and hung around since the transition to DHS with the many hopes that were conveyed to us. Unfortunately, three years have gone by now and there are many of us who do not qualify for better LEO jobs because we are over the required age of 37. I just missed it! The only consistent thing we have dealt with is inconsistency. If this agency was a private business, we would have been chapter 11 by now. There goes my career plans and a large percent of the 700 law enforcement officers when and if the agency folds.
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19899
If I have read your article correctly, FPS provides services to federal agencies that are supposed to reimburse FPS. The budget shortfall is due to difficulties in obtaining reimbursement for services from the agencies that receive them. In simpler terms, deadbeat administrators at federal agencies receiving FPS services are not paying their bills. Who are they? How about following up on this story by naming some names. In many states, a "deadbeat dad" who fails to pay child support has his pay garnished and his picture published in the newspaper. Name some names, publish some pictures, and garnish the pay of the "deadbeat feds." It is just plain wrong to balance the FPS budget on the backs of the folks at the bottom of the ladder.
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19883
This is another prime example of bad management! You do not reduce the pay of the low paid employees to make up for what you want to do but cannot afford! You stop doing those things that come along for which you do not have funding! I suggest you get rid of at least 10 GS-14s and above and several SES personnel that add little value as demonstrated by this decision. Reduce all travel, education subsidies, training and conferences by half of last year's level. I bet with little effort you could reduce costs without sitting on the lower ranks for the money.
Personally, I would get rid of the entire operation because we (the public) do not need it and do not benefit from it. Pay the local police to perform the necessary duties and give them the money to use for the effort!
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19876
To my fellow brethren at FPS--I'm sorry this is happening to you, and more so for the stinging slap at Christmas time. My LEAP is probably on the chopping block too if this is how we choose to handle budget issues. Since I can say nothing positive about ICE or DHS, I will choose to end this comment. Be safe and sincerely, Merry Christmas, despite the loss.
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19865
As a member of the Federal Protective Service I feel that several questions need to be answered.
1. Who were the employees that allowed this problem to happen and to continue?
2. What disciplinary actions were against these people for their actions?
3. Why was there no oversight by there supervisors? Were the supervisors disciplined?
4. Are these people still in positions that could cause this to happen again?
These are just some of the questions that upper managers need to answer not only to Congress, but to employees. The upper managers of FPS have no respect for Congress, much less the employees. And all the talk about making the employees and visitors to federal buildings safe, is nothing more than talk.
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19864
This is yet another example of the mess that ICE was, is, and will always be. But what do you expect when you mix together agencies with absolutely nothing in common with each other, such as INS agents, Customs agents, the FPS, and FAMS (which was in, then taken out). It seems as if the geniuses who came up with DHS just threw every agency that was left over into ICE, almost as an afterthought. And now we are all paying the price for their incompetence, mismanagement and just plain stupidity!
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19861
Can the writer properly identify the agency? We are not a security agency. We are a uniformed police agency approved by Congress back in 1971. Our uniforms and vehicles clearly state police not Security. We oversee the contract security guards who are at many government facilities owned or leased by General Services Administration. We provide police services like any local city or state police officer performs. We have arrest authority for our jurisdictions. We can get involved in situations across jurisdictional lines as we travel from one federal facility to another.
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19860
This is typical government mismanagement. Officials try to rectify their mistakes on the backs of their employees instead of focusing on the real problem, which is the ability to collect for services rendered. The issue seems clear according to this article. Management has a hard time collecting money from the agencies that FPS protects. A typical contractor might send a letter to the agency and say that they are in default of the contract due to nonpayment, and we will pull our security from your building if you do not pay within 60 days. If they were allowed to operate that way, maybe the budget shortfall would disappear.
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19852
Interesting quote:
"The retention allowances currently cost the agency about $3 million per fiscal year, according Dean Boyd, the spokesman. The decision to eliminate them will affect about 700 police officers and investigators, Boyd said."
So they are taking away this small benefit for 700 employees, first given to stop the hemorrhage of trained officers to other agencies, to save $3 million? What should be interesting is to see if the awards program will still exist for the GS-13s and above. I suspect that will be the case, as well as for the big SES bonuses.
My best advice to the 1811s and officers impacted by this issue: find a better-paying LEO job. When hundreds leave and they can't recruit because of low pay, low morale and poor reputation, these short sighted managers will bend to reality.
There is a limited pool of resources and good leadership would involve the managers taking the hit first.
HR Specialist
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19847
FPS is in free fall. The agency was transferred to DHS/ICE without a stand-alone budget. Then it was told it needed to make its own money from security fees. FPS is a law enforcement and security agency. No law enforcement agency survives off making its own money! ICE management was told by FPS it needed a budget, ICE just ignored the requests and let the debt accumulate. ICE is not run by law enforcement people -- it's run by lawyers and bureaucrats and they have no clue what they are doing. Also ICE management has no use for FPS. It does not use FPS officers for immigration or customs enforcement and should let the agency go back to GSA or be transferred somewhere else in DHS so it can function properly. Now four weeks before Christmas they are shafting their dedicated employees as if this will help FPS get out of 60 plus million dollars in debt. FPS officers put their lives on the line every day and were there for 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and this is how they are repaid? It's a disgrace! I wish all FPS officers the best and hope somehow this can be stopped.
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