| Comment Number: | EM-008381 |
| Received: | 3/9/2005 9:07:52 AM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
March 9, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: Dear Representative I am writing to urge your support of H.R. 1002, (The Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act) a bill to amend the retirement provisions of title 5, United States Code. This legislation would provide Federal Police Officers with their rightful recognition as Law Enforcement Officers as defined in Title 5 United States Code, Section 8401(17). Currently, Federal Police Officers not specifically mentioned in the "Law Enforcement Officer" definition must request special consideration from their agencies. This process is especially lengthy and costly to both the federal government and the individual officer. Nearly all of these requests have been denied under the false premise that Police Officers do not investigate criminal activity or engage in the violent nature of the work "a majority of the time." The same federal agencies provide group coverage for Federal Firefighters. This is similar to saying that fire fighters put out fires "a majority of the time." We recognize that every fire is potentially life threatening, however, every police encounter is also potentially life threatening. The vast majority of Federal Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty, who are listed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C., were in positions without LEO coverage. This is a clear indication of the criminal activity that Federal Police Officers encounter. Citizens are more likely to become victims of crime than victims of a fire. The obvious correction is to provide group coverage for all Federal Police Officers. The generally accepted criteria for Police Officers and Fire Fighters alike are "Young and vigorous." For Federal Police agencies, this standard is nearly impossible to maintain without LEO coverage. This legislation will also improve retention among Federal Police agencies. Currently retention is extremely low for all GS-083 positions. A simple check of the USAJOBS web page for "GS-083 Police Officer" will clearly demonstrate this. On an average day 55-75 agencies are hiring federal GS-083 police officers! As a direct result of this poor retention, training costs are substantially higher. H.R. 1002(formerly H.R. 2442) will provide the solution to this inequity, not by broadening the definition of law enforcement officer, but by providing a clearer understanding of the term. I urge you to join the growing co-sponsor list in support of Federal Law Enforcement Officers through support of this bill. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter. Sincerely,