OPINION:
As a 33-year federal law enforcement veteran, a former national president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and the owner of a security consulting firm, I am deeply concerned about the public safety and national security crisis facing our nation.
The causes are obvious. Because of historic increases in officer retirements and resignations over the past few years caused by the “defund and defame” police movement, our nation has fewer police officers per resident than at any time in more than 25 years. Police agencies are desperate to hire — cash incentives are being offered, and qualifying standards are being lowered — but few want the job given the incessant bashing of law enforcement.
The shortage of police officers has gotten so bad that Louisiana’s governor recently declared a state of emergency. In Pittsburgh, the police will no longer respond to calls that are not in-progress emergencies. In Austin, Texas, the police association president declared the city on the “brink of disaster.”
It should be no surprise to anyone that fewer police officers have resulted in more crime. In fact, homicides and others crimes in our nation have soared over the past few years to levels not seen since the 1990s. Violent crime committed by strangers in 2022 rose by 37% in urban areas, 73% in the suburbs and 102% in rural areas, according to the Justice Department’s National Crime Victimization Survey.
Making matters worse, millions of migrants are entering our nation illegally across our southern border. Earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Congress that there is growing concern about dangerous people entering the U.S. illegally. He told a Senate panel, “We are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border.” He has warned that it is not a matter of if but when we will have terrorist attacks on our homeland because of the lack of law enforcement at our border.
It is time we ask ourselves, “If a terrorist attack like what occurred here on Sept. 11, or what occurred in Israel on Oct. 7, would we have the necessary law enforcement resources to protect our homeland?”
Sadly, the answer is no.
With these increasing criminal and terrorist threats, it is clear that the law enforcement profession needs help, and there are thousands of retired policing professionals who are willing to assist.
In 2004, Congress passed the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which authorizes retired law enforcement officers to carry guns anywhere in the U.S. if they are honorably retired and meet their annual firearms qualification requirement. This law was passed at a time when a similar state of concern about terrorism and crime existed. It was a thoughtful response to a serious concern.
A bill pending in Congress, the LEOSA Reform Act, would fine-tune that law. This legislation is necessary because some states or jurisdictions do not honor the statute’s intent. It would clarify that the right to carry guns for retired law enforcement officers is the law of the land and should be respected by all jurisdictions.
This is a no-cost bill that appears to have bipartisan support, yet it has languished in Congress for years and seemingly is still not a priority. This makes no sense. The LEOSA Reform Act needs to be passed this year.
And we need to go even further. Not only should retired law enforcement professionals be allowed to carry guns anywhere in the U.S., but we also need to establish a LEOSA Reserve Force that is trained, organized, and ready to assist active policing personnel should the need arise. It would function much like the National Guard, which is called upon to assist when public safety or military needs require it.
Thousands of law enforcement retirees like myself, who are highly trained and are authorized to carry guns, are willing and able to support current active law enforcement officers across the U.S. through a LEOSA Reserve Force. These highly trained police officers and federal agents have spent a lifetime serving as law enforcement officers.
There is no reason why this vital resource should not be used, and it could be done with relative ease. The U.S. Marshals Service, with the authorization of the attorney general, could deputize these LEOSA-qualified officers as deputy U.S. marshals with the stroke of a pen.
We need to put a plan together to have these retired officers as a primary backup in case of a public safety or national security crisis. There is no question that police departments are overwhelmed and understaffed and that they need more resources now. These desperate times require a prompt and prudent response.
• Art Gordon is a retired supervisory special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with 33 years of law enforcement experience. He is past national president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. He now serves on the Law Enforcement Advisory Council of Citizens Behind the Badge.
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