Pay raise sought to stem law enforcement exodus

Park Police and uniformed Secret Service agents would get a raise under a House bill introduced this week.

The bill (H.R. 4809) would reverse a law passed in 2000 that blocked special locality-based raises for these law enforcement officers. The 2000 law raised pay for Park Police and members of the Secret Service Uniformed Division by 6 percent, while ending locality-based raises.

But the two agencies are losing dozens of officers to other law enforcement agencies, according to the office of Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. In the first five months of this year, 103 uniformed Secret Service agents have quit to work for other agencies in the Washington area and 32 members of the Park Police have also left.

Giving the officers locality pay would increase the salary of an officer with 13 years of service by $1,375 per year, Hoyer's office said. The locality pay will help the agencies stem their attrition rates, Hoyer said.

While the bill would only boost pay for the Secret Service division and the Park Police, several law enforcement agencies are facing staffing crises as the new Transportation Security Administration steps up its hiring efforts. Officials with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Bureau of Prisons and Federal Protective Service have all reported that employees are quitting at higher rates this year because of opportunities at the TSA.