As a federal law enforcement officer with the uniformed division of the Secret Service, Border Patrol, Forest Service, Federal Protective Service, FWS, DHS (ICE, CBP), DIA, DOI, FBI, BEP, VA, NIH, USPS or otherwise involved in installation security and/or other police work - the need for professional liability insurance to protect your job and livelihood is real. You serve as the first line of defense against all kinds of threats and as a result, are vulnerable to civil lawsuits - commonly referred to as Bivens actions.

Law enforcement officers are also subject to allegations of misconduct made by the public, co-workers or other entities/individuals for which an investigation is probable. It is for these civil and administrative protections that professional liability insurance (PLI) is available at an affordable cost for all federal law enforcement officers. For coverage effective today, buy now.

There are three areas of exposure that a professional liability policy responds to for law enforcement officers: civil law suits, administrative and disciplinary matters, and criminal investigations. For instance, PLI becomes necessary when:

• An officer is sued personally for a job-related action (i.e., Bivens action);
• An officer becomes involved in a misconduct or administrative matter/investigation for a job related action, a judicial proceeding; or
• An officer is subject to a criminal investigation for a job-related action.

For additional information on how FEDS protects federal law enforcement officers in the event of the above instances, read Civil Exposures, Administrative Exposures and Criminal Exposures.  Listen to law enforcement issues on Audio.

Law enforcement officers exposure to civil lawsuits is the very reason that the DOJ and several federal employee associations collaborated over 20 years ago to create the concept of PLI for federal employees. They wanted to protect federal employees and allow affordable legal representation and indemnity protection for those circumstances in which federal employees were held personally liable and had to provide their own defense - even though they were within their scope of employment or rendering a professional federal service.

This is also the very reason that Congress enacted special legislation requiring agencies to reimburse all law enforcement officers up to ½ of the cost of professional liability insurance. This congressional action clearly demonstrates Congress’ official support and belief that law enforcement officers have a sense of security while making the tough [or split-second] decisions that are part of the job. With annual costs at $270 and a net cost of only $135 a year after reimbursement for our minimum coverage limit, there is no reason for federal law enforcement officers not to have career and financial security protections in place.

FEDS continually works with many law enforcement communities, professional organizations, and associations to ensure that we provide the protection officers need to do their jobs. Please read what these associations and other industry leaders have to say about professional protection and why they recommend FEDS over other professional liability carriers.

FEDS founder, a former federal law enforcement agency employee, has successfully defended federal employees in private practice and encourages all federal employees to be as informed as possible about the benefits of having PLI protection in place. Read more about how and why FEDS got started here. And if you can't find answers to your questions in Frequently Asked Questions FAQ's, please call us at 301-229-2481.