USCP Has Enhanced Retirement Benefits, a Higher Minimum Starting Salary, and a Wider Variety of Duties Compared to Most Federal Police Forces

USCP has enhanced retirement benefits and a higher minimum entry- level salary than most other federal police forces GAO reviewed. However, USCP reported that its officers routinely engage in  similar activities, such as intelligence operations, and have similar  employment requirements for entry-level officers, such as being in good  physical condition, as most other federal police forces. Retirement Benefits and Salary

USCP and three other police forces—Park Police, Secret Service  Uniformed Division, and Supreme Court Police—have enhanced  retirement benefits, similar to those received by federal LEOs, where  officers can retire after fewer years of service and their retirement  annuities accrue faster than the other six federal police forces GAO  reviewed. USCP and the three police forces with enhanced retirement benefits  offered among the highest minimum entry-level salaries, ranging from  $52,020 to $55,653, as shown in table 2. These duties ranged from routinely protecting  members of Congress to buildings. While USCP and  seven of the other nine police forces said that human capital flexibilities  were important tools for recruiting and retaining police officers, their use  generally depends on need or budget, among other factors. Attrition

From fiscal years 2005 through 2010, USCP’s average attrition rate was  6.5 percent compared to the other nine federal police forces, which  ranged from 3.5 percent to just under 14 percent. Primary Reasons Why Federal Police Officers Leave or Stay

Federal police forces said that their police officers generally leave their  forces either because of personal reasons or for better career  advancement opportunities, and officers generally stay because of  appreciation for the agency’s mission.other police forces indicated that most of their police officers leave for  personal reasons, such as the desire to work closer to home. USCP had among the lowest attrition,  and Secret Service Uniformed Division had among the highest. Even though human capital flexibilities are intended to be a tool to recruit  and retain employees, and most of the police forces considered them at  least somewhat important, the police forces that offered a wider variety of  human capital flexibilities did not always have lower attrition rates. While retirement benefits, pay, and use of human capital flexibilities could  affect attrition, the extent to which they do so can vary for a given agency,  and other factors—such as family issues and promotion opportunities, as  previously discussed—could influence an employee’s decision to leave or  remain with his or her employer. Benefits under Existing FERS Provisions Generally Meet Recommended Targets, if Fully Utilized, with TSP Balances Being a Significant Factor

The benefits of USCP officers retiring at the age of 57 under existing  FERS provisions, if fully utilized by USCP officers, would meet retirement  income targets generally recommended by some retirement experts. However, the level of benefits depends significantly on the level of  employee TSP contributions. In 2010, the USCP Labor Committee  presented six proposals that would enhance the current USCP benefit  structure. Five of the six would increase existing costs; our review found  that the other proposal, which urges the USCP Board to exercise its  current authority by allowing officers to voluntarily remain on the job until  age 60 rather than retire at 57, as mandated, would have a minimal  impact on costs to the federal government and could improve officers’  retirement benefits. In 2010, the USCP Labor Committee provided selected members of  Congress with six proposed changes to further enhance the current  USCP benefit structure. OPM also provided technical comments, which we  incorporated as appropriate. Key contributors to  this report are listed in appendix V.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope and Methodology

To understand how the United States Capitol Police (USCP) compares to  other federal police forces with regard to retirement benefits,  compensation, duties, employment requirements, attrition, human capital  flexibilities, and costs associated with the proposed benefit  enhancements, we addressed the following questions:  (1) How does the USCP compare to other federal police forces in the  Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with respect to retirement benefits,  minimum entry-level salary, duties, and employment requirements? (2) How does attrition at USCP compare to other federal police forces,  and how if at all, have USCP and other federal police forces used human  capital tools to recruit and retain qualified officers? For the first and second objectives, we identified other federal police  forces that were potentially comparable to USCP based on (1) prior work  on federal uniformed police forces, (2) inclusion in the Office of Personnel  Management’s (OPM) occupational series for police officers (0083), and  (3) the number of officers located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan  area or who receive Washington, D.C. locality pay.information, we selected nine federal police forces whose officers are part  of, or functionally equivalent to, the 0083 occupational series and who  have at least 50 officers who are located in the Washington, D.C.  metropolitan area or receive Washington, D.C. locality pay, as listed in   Based on this  table 5.to OPM’s 0083 occupational series—or police series—for which an  individual’s primary duties involve the performance or supervision of law  enforcement work in the preservation of the peace; the prevention,  detection, and investigation of crimes; the arrest or apprehension of  violators; and the provision of assistance to citizens in emergency  situations, including the protection of civil rights.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Washington, D.C. metropolitan (DC metro) area is home to many federal police forces, including the United States Capitol Police (USCP), which maintain the safety of federal property, employees, and the public. Officials are concerned that disparities in pay and retirement benefits have caused federal police forces to experience difficulties in recruiting and retaining officers. In 2010, the USCP Labor Committee proposed six changes to enhance the USCP benefit structure. GAO was asked to review USCPs pay and retirement benefits and compare them to other federal police forces in the DC metro area. GAO (1) compared USCP to other forces with respect to retirement benefits, minimum entry-level salary, duties, and employment requirements; (2) compared attrition at USCP to other forces, and determined how, if at all, USCP and other forces used human capital flexibilities (e.g., retention bonus); and (3) determined what level of retirement income USCP benefits provide and the costs associated with the proposed benefit enhancements. GAO chose nine other federal police forces to review based on prior work, inclusion in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) police occupational series, and officer presence in the DC metro area. GAO analyzed laws, regulations, OPM data from fiscal years 2005 through 2010, and human capital data from the 10 police forces. GAO also surveyed the 10 forces.
USCP and the Office of Personnel Management generally agreed with our findings and provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.

What GAO Found

USCP generally has enhanced retirement benefits, a higher minimum starting salary, and a wider variety of protective duties than other federal police forces in the DC metro area that GAO reviewed, but has similar employment requirements. Even though USCP, Park Police, Supreme Court Police, and Secret Service Uniformed Division are federal police forces, they provide enhanced retirement benefits similar to those offered by federal law enforcement agencies that have additional investigative duties. These enhanced benefits allow their officers to retire early and accrue retirement pensions faster than other federal police forces. USCP and these three forces also offered among the highest minimum entry-level salariesranging from $52,020 to $55,653than the other six forces GAO reviewed, which had minimum entry-level salaries ranging from $38,609 to $52,018. USCP reported routinely having a wider variety of duties than most other forces. These duties ranged from routinely protecting members of Congress to protecting buildings. USCP and most of the forces generally have similar employment requirements, such as being in good physical condition.
USCPs attrition rate is generally lower than the majority of the federal police forces in our review; and USCP and seven of the other nine police forces considered human capital flexibilities to be at least of some importance to recruiting and retaining qualified officers, but use of these flexibilities generally depends on recruiting needs, among other factors. From fiscal years 2005 through 2010, USCP had the fourth lowest attrition rate (6.5 percent) among the 10 police forces GAO reviewed; the attrition rates for the nine other forces ranged from 3.5 percent to just under 14 percent. Officials from USCP and four other forces GAO reviewed stated that, currently, attrition is not a problem because of the challenging economy. For example, officials from USCP and Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police stated that their officers want to retain their jobs in the challenging economy. In addition, USCP and other forces said that when their officers do leave the force, they generally do so either because of personal reasons or for better career advancement opportunities, and officers generally stay for reasons such as good working environment or appreciation for the agencys mission. The extent to which retirement benefits, pay, and use of human capital flexibilities affect attrition can vary among forces given other factorssuch as family issuesthat could influence an employees decision to leave or remain with his or her employer.
If fully utilized, benefits for USCP officers who retire at the age of 57 under existing provisions generally would be within the range of retirement income targets suggested by some retirement experts. However, the level of benefits depends significantly on the level of employee retirement contributions. In 2010, the USCP Labor Committee presented six proposals that would enhance the current USCP benefit structure. GAOs analysis shows that five of the six would increase existing costs, GAOs review found the other proposal, which urges the USCP Board to exercise its current authority to allow officers to voluntarily remain employed until age 60 rather than retire at age 57, as mandated, would have only a minimal impact on USCP costs and could increase officers retirement income.