In case you missed it, be sure to listen to the Friday, December 14th episode of FEDtalk for a fascinating look into the federal whistleblowing process.  The founders of Whistleblower Aid, John Tye and Mark Zaid, joined host Debra Roth for an informative discussion.

If you have your liability insurance through FEDS Protection, you have automatically been entered into a raffle to win one of two 9.7 inch 128 GB Apple iPads.

Recently, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Nieves v. Bartlett, a case that addresses whether an officer’s probable cause acts as an absolute bar to a citizen’s First Amendment retaliatory arrest claim.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released the latest dataset from its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), containing information relating to more than 6 million criminal offenses nationally.

For Denise Cummings, being a police officer was a life-long dream. Inspired by her Uncle Nick, an officer with the Cicero (IL) Police Department, she applied with the Aurora (CO) Police Department when she was 25.

In oral argument today on Gamble v. United States, a majority of justices were critical of an appeal seeking to overturn the “separate sovereigns” doctrine exception to the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a case previously reported in FEDagent.

This week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that it had charged two men in connection with a ransomware attack that impacted certain regional computer networks between 2015 and 2018.

While many federal employees may question whether long term insurance is worth the cost, they may ultimately realize that the emotional and financial reassurance of having this protection may offer value that outweighs the cost of premiums.

The annual Open Season, running now through December 10, is an important time for more than eight million federal employees covered in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHB).  This is the time to anticipate health care needs and review health care options for next year, and it can be filled with more questions than answers.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has named Captain Tracie Meidl, of the Spokane (WA) Police Department, as the recipient of its Officer of the Month Award for October 2018.

As a federal employee, it is important to ask yourself if your current health plan is working for you. A change in marital status or a newly discovered medical condition can impact your coverage needs.

Recently, the Ninth Circuit held that Network Investigative Technique (“NIT”) warrants relied on to authorize a search beyond the jurisdiction of the issuing magistrate judge is void under the Fourth Amendment. Still, the court of appeals found that the good faith exception applied to admit the evidence obtained as a result of the unconstitutional search.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a major and disturbing breakthrough on a series of crimes dating back nearly 50 years, thanks to its Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP). This week, the agency announced that it had successfully connected 34 murders to Samuel Little, a 78-year-old man currently imprisoned in Texas.

Tune in to the next episode of FEDtalk on Friday, November 30th, 2018, to hear the latest from Shane Canfield, CEO of WAEPA, who will be discussing the company’s new offerings, and what federal employees should be thinking about, with Open Season in full swing. Also on the program will be Senior Executives Association President Bill Valdez discussing the upcoming 2018 Presidential Rank Awards Leadership Summit, to be held on December 13, 2018.

After serving in the position for a mere nine months, John “Jay” Gibson has announced that he will step aside as the Department of Defense’s chief management officer, the third-highest ranking official within the Pentagon, according to Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu.

With Thanksgiving now behind us, the U.S. Forest Service is turning its attention to Christmas, which is less than a month away, launching a new “Open Forest” website aimed at making it easier for Americans to obtain a permit to cut down Christmas trees “in some national forests, following certain rules and regulations.”

We get at least one call a week from a federal agent who needs legal advice or representation but doesn’t have FEDS Protection in place.

In a consolidated multidistrict class action against the Office of Personnel Management following a severe data breach of OPM’s cybersecurity that affected millions of federal employees and former federal employees, federal employees and the union alleged gross negligence and a violation of constitutional rights to informational privacy. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the case on September 19, 2017. On October 12, 2017, the employees appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has unveiled a new website corresponding to the agency’s release of a new dataset breaking down hate crimes in the United States in 2017.

In the midst of open season, tune in to FEDtalk this Friday, November 16th, at 11 AM EST to hear about some of your options as a federal employee when making benefits decisions and planning for your future, including some exciting new changes to this year’s offerings.