Crowley v. United States

56 Fed. Cl. 291, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 101, 2003 WL 21076982
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedApril 18, 2003
DocketNo. 94-711C
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 56 Fed. Cl. 291 (Crowley v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crowley v. United States, 56 Fed. Cl. 291, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 101, 2003 WL 21076982 (uscfc 2003).

Opinion

ORDER

HORN, Judge.

The court is in receipt of defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration of the court’s opinion regarding the claim of John Crowley for Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) credit and Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act (FLEPRA) benefits for his duties with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) from October 1, 1991 through April 1, 2001, and the plaintiffs responses.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The court’s August 30, 2002 opinion in this case determined Mr. Crowley’s eligibility for LEO credit and FLEPRA benefits for his duties as a Diversion Investigator (DI) with the DEA. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. 737 (2002). Mr. Crowley worked for the DEA and its predecessor, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) for almost thirty years.1 The BNDD hired Mr. Crowley in 1973 as a Diversion Investigator, with primary duties to investigate the diversion of controlled substances to addicts and drug dealers by doctors, pharmacists, manufacturers and distributors. Mr. Crowley’s responsibilities involved investigating doctors and pharmacists who were suspected of distributing controlled substances outside of the usual course of professional practice. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. at 744.

In the opinion, in order to determine Mr. Crowley’s qualifications for LEO credit, the court addressed four periods of his employ[293]*293ment, which he alleged entitled him to LEO credit. First, the court examined Mr. Crowley’s role as a Diversion Investigator in Boston, Massachusetts from 1973 through 1986. At trial, the court heard testimonial evidence that as a Diversion Investigator, Mr. Crowley spent the majority of his time investigating criminal activities, which often included contact with dangerous individuals and situations. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed. Cl. at 743-44.

The court next reviewed Mr. Crowley’s duty as a Diversion Group Supervisor from 1986 through 1991. In this capacity, Mr. Crowley conducted many of the same activities he had pursued as a Diversion Investigator, however, in a supervisory capacity. The court heard evidence that Mr. Crowley encountered armed, criminal suspects and even assisted local police in serving arrest warrants on armed drug dealers, who often resisted arrest and were taken into custody through force, as well as supervised such activity. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. at 744, 751-52.

The court also reviewed Mr. Crowley’s role from 1991 though 1994 as a Staff Coordinator in the Office of Diversion at DEA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. As a Staff Coordinator, Mr. Crowley supported, funded, advised, monitored and coordinated investigations conducted by various divisions of Diversion Investigators. During his tenure at DEA headquarters, Mr. Crowley also was selected to work as a Staff Coordinator in the newly formed International Drug Unit. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. at 754-55.

Finally, the court reviewed Mr. Crowley’s duties as a Diversion Group Supervisor in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1994 through 2001. In this capacity, Mr. Crowley held many of the same responsibilities he had held when he was previously a Group Supervisor, including paying and directing informants, effecting arrests and investigating criminal drug related activity. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. at 756.

In January, 1977, Donald E. Miller, Acting Deputy Administrator of the DEA, issued a memorandum clarifying the DEA’s policy regarding the duties of Diversion Investigators and limiting their law enforcement roles and responsibilities. The memorandum restricted the Diversion Investigators’ participation in undercover evidence purchases, directing informants, conducting moving surveillance and executing search warrants. In 1984, Francis M. Mullen, then DEA Administrator, restricted the responsibilities of Diversion Investigators even further by issuing another memorandum restricting the ability of Diversion Investigators to conduct undercover activities of any kind, from direct involvement in the execution of arrest or search warrants, and from conducting surveillance or paying informants. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. at 744-45. Despite these restrictions, it was clear from the trial testimony that Mr. Crowley was not shielded from participating in such activities or from the dangers associated with his actual job responsibilities on a daily basis. Id. at 746

In 1990, Congress established a retirement and pay benefit system for federal law enforcement officers, making them eligible for enhanced pay and early retirement pursuant to the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990, Pub.L. No. 101-509, §§ 401-412, 104 Stat. 1389, 1465-69. The regulations setting forth the standards for qualifying as an LEO are found at 5 C.F.R. §§ 831.903 — 831.911, and identify two methods for claiming LEO credit. The first method for receiving LEO credit occurs when an agency determines that a position qualifies for LEO credit. See 5 C.F.R. §§ 831.903(a), 831.904(a).2 The second method for receiving LEO credit involves the claimant filing . an administrative claim through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), or the relevant agency personnel office, in the instant case, the Justice Management Division (JMD) of the DOJ to request credit for service. See 5 C.F.R. § 831.906(b).3 The granting of LEO status entitles the claimant to FLEPRA benefits. Mr. Crowley submitted administrative claims [294]*294to the OPM, which credited him with primary LEO credit for the period from June 15, 1974 through June 15, 1986, secondary supervisory LEO credit from June 16, 1986 through February 24, 1991, and secondary administrative credit from February 25, 1991 through September 30,1991. See Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. at 757.

Following February, 1991, Mr. Crowley filed annual administrative claims for LEO credit with OPM, and later, as required, with his employing agency, the JMD of DOJ. Neither JMD nor DOJ acted upon Mr. Crowley’s claims until 1994, when Deputy Assistant Administrator for Personnel, Jean D. Mathis, found that Mr. Crowley’s position as a Staff Coordinator at DEA headquarters “has been determined by OPM to meet the law enforcement criteria; that is, it is an administrative position for which primary law enforcement experience is the prerequisite. Therefore, continued law enforcement coverage in the secondary category is recommended for DI Crowley.” Crowley v. United States, 53 Fed. Cl. at 758. In August, 1999, almost five years later, the JMD reversed this decision and denied all of Mr. Crowley’s administrative claims for LEO credit from October 1, 1991 through June 15,1997.

Mr. Crowley filed suit in this court seeking LEO credit in the secondary administrative category from October 1, 1991 through October 30, 1994 and LEO- credit in the secondary supervisory category from October 31, 1994 through October 1, 2001. Mr. Crowley also sought overtime pay under 5 U.S.C. § 5542 (2000), Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) pay pursuant to 5 U.S.C.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Crowley v. United States
398 F.3d 1329 (Federal Circuit, 2005)
Rice Services, Ltd. v. United States
59 Fed. Cl. 619 (Federal Claims, 2004)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 Fed. Cl. 291, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 101, 2003 WL 21076982, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crowley-v-united-states-uscfc-2003.