Although the specific duties police officers perform may vary among  police forces, federal uniformed police officers are generally responsible  for providing security and safety to people and property within and  sometimes surrounding federal buildings. Another component of DHS is TSA, a  former component of the Department of Transportation. During  fiscal year 2002, the Federal Air Marshal Program increased its recruiting  significantly in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. During recent years, the federal government has implemented many  human capital flexibilities to help agencies attract and retain sufficient  numbers of high-quality employees to complete their missions. Most Forces Experienced Recruitment Difficulties

Eight of the 13 police forces reported difficulties recruiting officers from a  moderate to a very great extent. Despite recruitment difficulties faced by  many of the police forces, none of the police forces used important human  capital recruitment flexibilities, such as recruitment bonuses and student  loan repayments, in fiscal year 2002. U.S. There were sizable differences in  turnover rates among the 13 police forces during fiscal year 2002. The most significant increases in turnover occurred at the Bureau of  Engraving and Printing Police (200 percent) and the Secret Service  Uniformed Division (about 152 percent). More than half (316) of the 599 officers who voluntarily separated from the  police forces in fiscal year 2002 went to TSA—nearly all (313 of 316) to  become Federal Air Marshals where they were able to earn higher salaries,  federal law enforcement retirement benefits, and a type of pay premium  for unscheduled duty equaling 25 percent of their base salary. Data we gathered from the 13 police forces since we issued our report  indicate that fiscal year 2003 turnover rates will drop significantly at 12 of  13 forces--even below historical levels at most of the forces—if patterns  for the first 9 months of fiscal year 2003 continue for the remaining  months. In  addition, prospective fiscal year 2003 turnover rates at 8 of the 13 forces  are below historical levels. For example, officials at 4 of the 13 police forces  reported that they were able to offer retention allowances, which may  assist the forces in retaining experienced officers, and 3 of these police  forces used this tool to retain officers in fiscal year 2002. The average  retention allowances paid to officers in fiscal year 2002 were about   $1,000 at the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, $3,500 at the Federal  Protective Service, and more than $4,200 at the NIH Police. Annual pay for entry-level police officers ranged from $28,801 to  $39,427, as of September 30, 2002. Entry-level officers at 12 of the 13 police forces (all but the U.S. These pay raises received by entry-level officers from  October 1, 2002, through April 1, 2003, narrowed the entry-level pay gap  for some of the 13 forces. In  our report on homeland security issued last December, we recommended  that OPM, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget and  the agencies, should develop and oversee the implementation of a long- term human capital strategy that can support the capacity building across  government required to meet the objectives of the nation’s efforts to  strengthen homeland security. TSA agreed with this  recommendation. Related GAO Products

	Law Enforcement Personnel

Federal Uniformed Police: Selected Data on Pay, Recruitment, and  Retention at 13 Police Forces in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area  (GAO-03-658, June 13, 2003).
Why GAO Did This Study

Many federal agencies in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area have their own police forces to ensure the security and safety of the persons and property within and surrounding federal buildings. In the executive branch, for example, the Secret Service has over 1,000 uniformed officers protecting the White House, the Treasury Building, and other facilities used by the Executive Office of the President. The Interior Department's Park Police consists of more than 400 officers protecting parks and monuments in the area. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency has recently increased its force to over 400 officers. Even the Health and Human Services Department maintains a small police force on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, there are federal uniformed police forces in both the Legislative and Judicial Branches of the federal government. We have continued to examine the transformation of 22 agencies with an estimated 160,000 civilian employees into the Department of Homeland Security.

What GAO Found

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the government's subsequent efforts to increase airline security, many of these local police forces began experiencing difficulties in recruiting and retaining officers. Police force officials raised concerns that the newly created Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its Federal Air Marshal Program were luring many prospective and experienced officers by offering better starting pay and law enforcement retirement benefits. Former Congresswoman Morella asked us to look into these concerns. Most forces reported experiencing recruitment difficulties. Officials at 8 of the 13 forces told us they experienced moderate to very great recruiting difficulties. Despite this, none of the 13 forces used available human capital flexibilities, such as recruitment bonuses or student loan repayments in fiscal year 2002, to try to improve their recuiting efforts. In fiscal year 2002, many of the local forces experienced sizable increases in turnover, mostly due to voluntary separations. About half of the officers who left voluntarily went to the TSA. Some of the forces provided retention allowances and incentive awards to try to retain more of their officers. Entry-level pay at the 13 agencies during fiscal year 2002 ranged from $28,801 to $39,427, a gap that narrowed for some of the forces in fiscal year 2003 because officers at 12 of the 13 agencies received increased entry-level pay. However, information we have gathered since we issued our report indicates that turnover in most of the police forces has dropped significantly during fiscal year 2003. The increase in turnover that occurred at 12 of the 13 police forces during fiscal year 2002 appears to be associated with the concurrent staffing of the TSA Federal Air Marshal Program. TSA's hiring of air marshals during fiscal year 2003 has been pared back.