Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act

This bill, titled the "Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act," amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to establish a new grant program. This program enables state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to hire retired personnel for various civilian law enforcement tasks . Crucially, these tasks, which include assisting with investigations, forensics, and IT support, explicitly exclude the ability to make arrests or use force under the color of law. Eligible entities receiving these grants must certify that the retired personnel possess appropriate and current training or will receive necessary continuing education. The bill outlines specific civilian tasks such as aiding in homicide, carjacking, and financial crimes investigations, reviewing camera footage, and providing expertise in crime scene analysis or information technology. Before hiring, agencies must conduct good faith efforts to check for disciplinary records, including searching the National Decertification Index , with any misconduct findings requiring review by the highest-ranking officer. To ensure accountability, the Department of Justice Inspector General will conduct annual audits of grant recipients to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Grantees with unresolved audit findings will face a mandatory exclusion from receiving further funds for two fiscal years, and the Attorney General will prioritize entities with clean audit records. The Attorney General is also required to certify audit completion to Congress annually and prevent duplicative grant awards by comparing potential awards with existing grants for similar purposes.