Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act
The Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act would create a new grant program under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to hire retired law enforcement personnel to perform civilian law enforcement tasks and to train civilian staff to perform such tasks. The program allows federal grants to State, local, Tribal, or territorial law enforcement agencies, provided the retirees have appropriate training or will participate in continuing education. Tasks cover a broad set of investigative, analytical, and IT-related duties but explicitly exclude any ability to arrest or use force. The bill also requires background vetting of retirees, strong accountability measures (including DOJ Inspector General audits and mandatory exclusions for unresolved audit findings), and reporting provisions to prevent duplicative grants.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a new grant program (Title I, Part PP) to hire retired law enforcement personnel to train civilian staff and perform civilian law enforcement tasks on behalf of eligible agencies.
- 2Defines civilian law enforcement tasks to include homicide and carjacking investigations, financial crimes, compliance with reporting, reviewing camera footage, crime scene and forensics analysis, and IT/computer expertise; but prohibits arrest powers or use of force.
- 3Eligibility criteria require the agency to certify that retired personnel have current training or will receive ongoing education to perform the specified tasks.
- 4Hiring and vetting requirements mandate good-faith checks of disciplinary or internal investigation histories (via the National Decertification Index or agency records) and require senior agency leadership to review misconduct findings before hiring.
- 5Accountability framework includes mandatory DOJ Inspector General audits of grant recipients, a process for excluding entities with unresolved audit findings for two fiscal years, annual certifications to Congress, and a prohibition on duplicative grants to the same applicant for similar purposes with required reporting.