Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act

Grants to hire retired officers

This bill would create a Justice Department grant program to help State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement hire retired officers for civilian tasks and to train civilian staff. Retired personnel would assist with homicide, carjacking, and financial-crimes investigations, camera review, crime-scene and forensics work, and IT, but they would not be allowed to arrest people or use force. Agencies getting grants would have to certify retirees have appropriate current training or will take continuing education. Grant recipients would need to try to find misconduct records by searching the National Decertification Index or requesting prior personnel files, and the agency head or a designee must review any findings before hiring. Beginning in the first fiscal year after enactment, the Justice Department Inspector General would audit grantees each year; audit findings not resolved within 12 months could make a recipient ineligible for grants for the next two fiscal years. The Attorney General would give priority to applicants without unresolved audit findings in the prior three fiscal years and must report multiple similar awards to Congress.