A Seat at the Table Before Congress, Agencies for the Front Line
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The prompt for this round of the FEDforum is: In what way has your organization impacted the federal workforce/law enforcement community? This week, hear from the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA).
Too often the voice of front-line law enforcement is drowned out by political leadership at the top. It is the rank-and-file officers and agents from more than 65 federal law enforcement agencies that are tasked with enforcing the laws of our nation. These officers are aware of the practical constraints of policy implementation and what works and doesn’t work on the ground. Yet politicians and political appointees often prefer to make policy in a vacuum, focusing more on the talking points of a policy than its implementation. Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) gives a voice to the officers on the ground and ensures laws and policies consider their perspective.
A crucial example of the disconnect between policy and reality is seen with body worn cameras (BWC). FLEOA supports the use of BWC to ensure accountability and transparency with the public in law enforcement operations. However, ensuring agencies use this equipment properly is often left to Departments that lack the resources to ensure proper maintenance and handling. This causes an array of problems that undermine the very goals BWCs seek to achieve.
As FLEOA highlighted during in a hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations the Department of Interior (DOI) spent years struggling to update its radio system and without due care, history will repeat itself with BWCs. For over a decade, FLEOA raised concerns that due to a lack of funding and administrative inefficiencies, some DOI law enforcement components rely on State or local communications platforms, many of which themselves are inefficient, incompatible, out of date, and unreliable for emergency communications. FLEOA explained the funding, privacy, maintenance, and training requirements that must go along with BWC implementation to ensure the issues DOI has with radios do not repeat themselves.
It is because FLEOA is able to provide this nuanced insight about situations on the ground, that FLEOA is often called upon by agencies and Congress to inform them on these issues, as FLEOA was called on by the Committee. FLEOA is a charter member of the DHS Federal Law Enforcement Advisory Board, holds two seats on the Congressional Badge of Bravery Federal Board, serves on the Executive Board of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the National Law Enforcement Steering Committee.
In FLEOA’s 45-year history, it has played a pivotal role in passing important legislation that impacts federal law enforcement officers, including Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP), Good Samaritan Act, Badge of Bravery, and FERS Sick Leave Credit. Each of these legislative initiatives seeks to enhance the capacity of officers and agents to fulfil their mission by enhancing the recruitment and retention of qualified law enforcement officers.
Most recently, FLEOA was integral to the passage of the three priority bills impacting the law enforcement community signed into law in November.
First, the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Officer and Employee Protection Act was a FLEOA-driven effort named in honor of two Hero HSI Special Agents and members who were ambushed by members of the Los Zetas drug cartel while on official assignment in Mexico in early 2011. The legislation corrected a circuit court split created when a panel for the D.C. Circuit tossed out the murder convictions for two cartel members for the killing of Special Agent Zapata and codified the extra-territorial application of statutes criminalizing attacks on law enforcement.
Next, FLEOA drafted and worked to ensure the passage of the COPS Counseling Act. This bill ensures access to confidential peer support services for law enforcement in federal agencies. This legislation aligns with FLEOA’s work on the Congressional and agency level to ensure law enforcement wellness and resilience.
Finally, FLEOA worked closely with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) on passage of the Protecting America’s First Responders Act. This Act fundamentally reforms DOJ’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program and increases the ability of officers injured in the line of duty to successfully claim a PSOB disability benefit.
These legislative efforts represent a concerted effort by FLEOA to elevate issues regarding officer safety, wellness, and health to Congress and the President. By giving our members a voice before lawmakers and political appointees, FLEOA ensures are members are protected and don’t go it alone.
This column from Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) is part of the FEDforum, an initiative to unite voices across the federal community. The FEDforum is a space for federal employee and law enforcement groups to share their organizations’ initiatives and activities with the FEDagent audience.
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