Today, Senator Corey Book (D-NJ) introduced the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act, which would amend the definition of "law enforcement officer" to encompass all law enforcement employees whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the U.S., including uniformed officers from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs Police Department.

In response, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) National President Nathan Catura said:

"I appreciate Senator Booker carrying the message for this important piece of legislation into the Senate and thank him for its introduction.

"Within the federal law enforcement community, much disparity exists with pay and benefits due to an outdated definition of "law enforcement officer" in federal law. The current definition excludes thousands of federal police officers and others who undergo similar training, maintain the same apprehension and arrest authorities, and are obligated to meet the same strenuous physical requirements of the job.

"They are the men and women who protect our borders; guard elected officials, dignitaries, employees, and citizens; ensure our safe transit; and investigate criminal and terrorist activity here and abroad.

"This archaic definition no longer matches our post-9/11 world, as the job of a law enforcement officer has expanded, but whose goal remains to serve and protect our nation.

"This bill will bring uniformity to pay and benefits for federal law enforcement officers and ensure that the federal government can continue to recruit and retain the best individuals for these positions."

This is a companion bill to one introduced earlier this year by Rep Peter King (H.R. 2254).

About FLEOA

The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (www.fleoa.org) is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan professional association that exclusively represents over 26,000 active and retired federal law enforcement officers from over 65 agencies.