COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, nw
Washington, D.C. 20004
Christina Henderson Committee Member
Councilmember, At-Large Hospital and Health Equity
Chairperson, Committee on Health Judiciary and Public Safety
Transportation and the Environment
Statement of Introduction
Retired Firefighter and Police Officer Redeployment Amendment Act of 2023
November 30, 2023
Today, I am introducing the Retired Firefighter and Police Officer Redeployment Amendment Act of
2023, along with Councilmembers Brianne K. Nadeau, Matthew Frumin, Zachary Parker, Brooke
Pinto, Charles Allen, Robert C. White, Jr., Janeese Lewis George, Anita Bonds, and Kenyan
McDuffie.
This bill would grant to firefighters retired from the Fire and Emergency Medical Services
Department (FEMS) and police officers retired from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)
eligibility for rehire at the discretion of the Director of the Office of Unified Communications (OUC)
as temporary full-time or temporary part-time 911 call takers or 911 dispatchers without decreasing
their retirement benefits. Currently, any retired District government employee who is collecting
pension benefits and is rehired by another District agency is subject to an annuity offset. This bill
would allow MPD and FEMS retirees to collect both a salary as a temporary 911 call taker or
dispatcher in addition to their full pension annuity.
Current law includes pension offsets for retired MPD officers who are rehired at the discretion of the
Chief of Police as fully sworn temporary full-time or temporary part-time police officers1, rehired as
temporary full-time or temporary part-time employees at the Department of Forensic Sciences2, or
hired by the Superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools as security personnel3. These
exemptions allow former District government employees to apply their specific skills in new roles
for which they are uniquely suited.
This legislation would give OUC access to a new pool of candidates who, while not explicitly
excluded from being rehired as 911 call takers and dispatchers, may be uninterested in starting a new
job without any compensation. Retired firefighters and police officers would be valuable additions to
OUC’s 911 operations, as they are familiar with dispatch operations from the FEMS and MPD
perspectives. They would bring the expertise and knowledge that they acquired over decades on the
front lines of emergency response into the heart of OUC operations, including their knowledge of the
city’s geography, their medical expertise, and innate knowledge of the information that firefighters
and police officers need from dispatchers when responding to a scene. This exemption could also
increase interagency collaboration, increase staffing levels to the point that OUC ends mandatory
overtime policies, and lead to a lower number of understaffed call taker and dispatcher shifts.
This legislation would allow experienced and dedicated public servants to continue to use their
talents to serve District residents at an essential agency that shapes lives every day. I look forward to
working with my colleagues and the public to advance this measure to approval by the full Council.
1
D.C. Code § 5–761(a).
2
D.C. Code § 5–761(a-1).
3
D.C. Code § 5–762(a).
 1 ______________________________ ______________________________
2 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Christina Henderson
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6 Councilmember Matthew Frumin Councilmember Zachary Parker
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10 Councilmember Brooke Pinto Councilmember Charles Allen
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14 Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Anita Bonds
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18 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie
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22 A BILL
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28 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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32 To amend the Retired Police Officer Redeployment Amendment Act of 1992 to allow retired
33 Metropolitan Police Department officers and retired firefighters from the Fire and
34 Emergency Services Department to be eligible for rehire at the discretion of the Director
35 of the Office of Unified Communication as a temporary full-time or temporary part-time
36 911 call taker or 911 dispatcher without jeopardy to the retirement benefits of the
37 employee.
38 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
39 act may be cited as the “Retired Firefighter and Police Officer Redeployment Amendment Act of
40 2023”.
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41 Sec. 2. The Retired Police Officer Redeployment Amendment Act of 1992, effective
42 September 29, 1992 (D.C. Law 9-163; D.C. Official Code § 5-761), is amended by adding a new
43 section 2a to read as follows:
44 “Sec. 2a. Redeployment as Office of Unified Communications 911 call taker and
45 dispatcher.
46 “(a) Police officers retired from the Metropolitan Police Department and firefighters
47 retired from the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department shall be eligible for rehire at
48 the discretion of the Director of the Office of Unified Communications (“OUC”) as temporary
49 full-time or temporary part-time 911 call takers or dispatchers without jeopardy to the retirement
50 benefits of the retired police officer or firefighter.
51 “(b) Service pursuant to this section shall not count as creditable service for the purpose
52 of section 12(c) of the Policemen and Firemen’s Retirement and Disability Act, approved
53 September 1, 1916 (39 Stat. 718; D.C. Official Code § 5-704).
54 Sec. 3. Section 12(p)(5) of the Policemen and Firemen’s Retirement and Disability Act,
55 approved September 1, 1916 (39 Stat. 718; D.C. Official Code § 5-723), is amended by striking
56 the phrase “Amendment Act of 1994.” and inserting the phrase “Amendment Act of 1994. The
57 provisions of this subsection shall not apply to an annuitant employed by the Office of Unified
58 Communications under the Retired Firefighter and Police Officer Redeployment Amendment
59 Act of 2023.” in its place.
60 Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement.
61 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
62 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,
63 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
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64 Sec. 5. Effective date.
65 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
66 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as
67 provided in section 602(c)(2) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December
68 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(2)), and publication in the District of
69 Columbia Register.
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