New Year, New Liabilities
As the new year begins, we reflect on the past year thinking about family, friends, work, the future. We refocus on what we want and how we get there. What we don’t always think about is how quickly life can change – and what we need to do now to be prepared.
As a law enforcement officer, you are vulnerable to investigations and/or civil law suits as a result of actions and decisions made in the course and scope of your employment. If an allegation is made against you, the challenge is having knowledgeable, tenacious, effective counsel advocating on your behalf. Your agency attorney is not your attorney. It is the job of the agency attorney to defend the agency – not you. And if you think you can hire your second cousin’s buddy’s sister to defend you, just because she’ll give you a deal on the legal fees, think again. You need to have counsel that has proven success in the defense of federal law enforcement officers to defend yourself against the federal government or to defend against a civil lawsuit.
Below is a very small sampling of legal fees paid by the FEDS policy in 2017 for Federal Law Enforcement Officers faced with allegations while acting within the scope of employment. If you would like more examples or examples specific to your agency, email feds@fedsprotection.com or call 866.955.FEDS.
Agency: Bureau of Prisons
The insured became the subject of an OIG investigation because he was forced to subdue an inmate who acted aggressively when the inmate was moved within the facility.
Paid to date: $27,891
Agency: United States Marshals Service
The insured became the subject of whistleblower retaliation investigation after insured rightfully reported another employee for leaking information to the press.
Paid to Date: $10,300
Agency: Department of the Army
The insured was issued a proposed removal for not providing his supervisor with requested information in a timely manner and for allegedly failing to properly secure ammunition.
Paid to date: $102,000
Agency: Federal Protective Service
The insured received a proposed suspension for allegations resulting from use of GOV.
Paid to Date: $15,779
If you don’t have FEDS Protection in place when an allegation is made against you, the cost for representation is considerable. This, added to the personal toll of charges filed along with the impact on your career can be significant. Your ability to defend yourself effectively is limited unless you have professional liability insurance that will provide you with legal representation. These are the very reasons why Congress mandated federal agencies to reimburse federal law enforcement officers up to half the cost of this insurance.
Annual Cost with Payroll Deduction Available:
$1,000,000 Policy; $290 or $145 after agency reimbursement
$2,000,000 Policy; $390 or $145 after agency reimbursement
Compare us to others! Legal representation for civil matters is not capped by sublimits; the quality of legal representation you can expect as a FEDS member is one of the main reasons FEDS is recommended by FLEOA, WIFLE and other leading federal law enforcement associations; FEDS does not charge additional premium for employees serving outside of CONUS, or for employees needing EPLI type coverage.
Enrollment takes less than 5 minutes:
· Enroll on-line anytime at www.fedsprotection.com.
· Call us Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm ET at 866.955.FEDS
FEDS provides professional liability insurance for the entire federal law enforcement community. For information on your specific exposures, how professional liability insurance protects, or how the FEDS program differs from other insurance programs, visit us on the web at fedsprotection.com and choose the position or agency that best describes your job and professional responsibilities.