On August 26, President Donald Trump issued an Alternative Pay Plan that will keep 2027 General Schedule base and locality rates at 2026 levels while directing OPM to use its special salary rate authority to provide a 3.8 percent pay increase for law enforcement personnel. In so doing, the President once again demonstrated his support for law enforcement by ensuring that federal agencies have the means to address ongoing staffing shortages that threaten both public and officer safety. OPM has not yet announced the full list of agencies and occupational categories that will qualify for the 2027 increase. But OPM has said it intends to take a broader approach to federal law enforcement coverage in 2027 than it did under the special rates implemented this year—a determination process that relied heavily on individual requests from federal agencies.
“The decision to provide a 3.8 percent increase recognizes a problem FLEOA has been raising for years: the federal government cannot recruit and retain the best law enforcement professionals if their compensation fails to keep pace with the responsibilities, hours, and risks of the job,” said FLEOA Executive Director Michael Hughes. “Now the focus is on ensuring that no federal officers or agents are arbitrarily left behind simply because of the agency they serve or the title attached to their position.”
FLEOA conveyed this message to OPM on August 31 in a letter to OPM Director Scott Kupor, noting that all similarly situated federal law enforcement professionals deserve consistent and equitable treatment because each and every officer, regardless of agency, contributes to public safety, national security, and the lawful operation of the federal government. This was one of several issues FLEOA leadership discussed with Director Kupor during National Police Week in May, highlighting how pay and other longstanding issues with provisions of Title 5 that have impacted the retention and recruitment of federal law enforcement officers. FLEOA made clear that the current system no longer works, has caused widespread pay compression, and disincentivizes good officers from wanting to move up to management or supervisory roles. And as we saw in the years immediately after 9/11, pay increases to improve hiring at some agencies can actually exacerbate retention crises at others. Excluding some law enforcement officers from the 3.8 percent pay increase again in 2027 will only exacerbate these issues at a time when our nation can least afford it.
“FLEOA is committed to ensuring the federal government does not repeat the pay disparities created by the application of the 2026 pay increase, and that any pay increase for 2027 is implemented equitably across the entire federal law enforcement community,” Hughes said. “Whether you are a criminal investigator, OIG special agent, uniformed federal police officer, correctional officer, protective-service officer, or other federal law enforcement professional, your mission contributes to the safety and security of this nation, and your agency patch should not determine whether your service is valued differently in your paycheck. We will continue the fight to ensure that no federal law enforcement officer is left behind.”
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FLEOA serves more than 34,000 registered members in the federal law enforcement community, who serve across more than 65 agencies. The organization does not endorse political parties or candidates but serves as a voice of advocacy for federal law enforcement through the legislative process.
Allison Pagliughi
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