In the middle of the night, a drunk man in his 30s took a taxi from St. Louis to Ballwin, Missouri, asked the taxi driver to stop on the street near the home of Jon Luer and his wife, Andrea Steinebach, and exited the taxi without paying his $65 fare. The driver reported the fare skipper to the police at 2:38 am, and officers arrived on the scene 2:45 am.

Across all agencies, federal law enforcement officers are stressed out. Even prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, agencies had been understaffing units and overworking their officers. Studies show that understaffing may lead to decreased job performance due to officer fatigue that causes diminished observational abilities. For many reasons—social distancing protocols, employee illness, etc.—the pandemic has exacerbated these issues, putting more pressure on federal law enforcement officers than ever before. Despite the efforts of you and your fellow officers trying to keep up with agency demands, problems will inevitably arise and, when they do, the agency is going to look for someone to blame.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to hire 6,000 new Transportation Security Officers before summer 2021 to prepare for the influx of travelers that is expected as COVID-19 vaccine rollout accelerates. At approximately 430 airports nationwide, TSA is ramping up efforts to add staff who can assist with security screenings and other airport tasks.

Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 2, 2021 to answer questions from lawmakers about events that transpired during the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The hearing focused on what the FBI knew leading up to the attack and its general response to the rising threat from domestic violent extremists.

According to a Department of Justice press release dated February 26, 2021, Richard Holzer, 28, was sentenced in federal court for planning to blow up a synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado. Holzer pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and explosives charges and was given a sentence of over 19 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.

For Women’s History Month, WIFLE highlights the women in federal law enforcement who work hard every day to protect and serve our country.

The most recent FEDtalk podcast episode featured a roundtable discussion on diversity and inclusion in the U.S. national security workforce. The guests discussed diversity gaps in national security, barriers to equal opportunity, and the opportunity present today. Through their work, the guests have sought solutions to diversifying the national security workforce and bridging divides to help people of color and underrepresented groups succeed. The show highlights the work being done to create a culture of inclusivity in the national security space.

Life happens. And sometimes, it brings a financial hardship to your doorstep, leaving you scrambling to find the cash needed to handle the unexpected and often, unwelcome situation.

When a district court addresses the merits of a Federal Tort Claims Act claim in its decision dismissing that claim for failing to legally state a claim, the FTCA bars the plaintiffs from bringing any Bivens claim on the same subject matter, the Supreme Court held today.

From February 22 to February 23, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the position of Attorney General in the Biden administration.

The federal government’s efforts to modernize and rationalize its workforce vetting policies and protocols continue to move forward, with actions coming at the tail end of the last administration and in the first month of the Biden administration.

According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release from February 22, 2021, a Puerto Rican man was sentenced to one year in federal prison for violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trafficking and false labeling of protected coral reef organisms.

The Biden administration recently proposed the 2021 U.S. Citizenship Act to Congress. The bill has been introduced in both chambers by Congressional Democrats. The act would revamp the United States immigration system and reverse many immigration initiatives that were introduced by the Trump administration. The plan also includes several reforms aimed at improving the homeland security workforce.

The African American Federal Executive Association, Executive Women in Government, Senior Executives Association, and Management Concepts partnered to present "It Starts with Us: Forging the Future of Federal Leadership.” The event featured Ambassador Susan Rice, current head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, as a keynote speaker and then continued with a panel discussion on the role of leaders in increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the federal leadership cadre of the future.

The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit professional association exclusively representing federal law enforcement officers. FLEOA represents more than 30,000 federal law enforcement officers from over 65 different agencies.

Tonya Hoover supports the training, education, and professional development of fire departments so they are better prepared to respond to all hazards. Learn more about the staff behind the FEMA mission.

Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently reintroduced the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act. The bill has bipartisan support and would guarantee that law enforcement officers across the federal government have full access to federal retirement benefits.

The House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on February 11, 2021 titled The U.S. Immigration System: The Need for Bold Reforms. The discussion covered a number of topics ranging from the terminology of using “illegal alien” versus “undocumented immigrant” to some policy steps the government can take to better approach the immigration system and solve its problems.

According to a Department of Justice press release from February 16, 2021, a North Carolina sport supplement company owner, Brian Michael Parks, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing unapproved new drugs with the intent to mislead and defraud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and consumers. He was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.

Learn what it took to be a Transportation Security Officer in the days before the pandemic and how they were trained to protect the traveling public.