A school must cancel up to 100% of the outstanding balance on a borrower’s Perkins loan for a full-time law enforcement or corrections officer for an eligible employing agency. The borrower’s position must be essential to the agency’s primary mission.
A local, state, or federal agency is an eligible employing agency if it is publicly funded and its activities pertain to crime prevention, control, or reduction, or to the enforcement of the criminal law. Such activities include but are not limited to:
- Police efforts to prevent, control, or reduce crime or to apprehend criminals (Police Officers)
- Activities of courts and related agencies having criminal jurisdiction (District Attorneys, Assistant District Attorneys)
- Activities of corrections, probation, or parole authorities (Corrections Officers, Probation Officers, Parole Officers)
- The prevention, control, or reduction of juvenile delinquency or narcotic addiction
Agencies that are primarily responsible for enforcement of civil, regulator, or administrative laws are ineligible. However, because the activities of many divisions and bureaus within local, state, and federal agencies pertain to crime prevention, control, or reduction, or to the enforcement of criminal law, a sub-unit within a larger, non-law enforcement agency may qualify as a law enforcement agency for purposes of a law enforcement cancellation.
For the borrower’s position to be considered essential to the agency’s primary mission, he or she must be a full-time employee of an eligible agency and a sworn law enforcement or corrections officer or person whose principal responsibilities are unique to the criminal justice system and are essential in the performance of the agency’s primary mission. The agency must be able to document the employee’s functions. Examples of positions that are considered essential to a law enforcement agency’s primary mission and that are unique to the criminal justice system include prosecuting attorneys whose primary responsibilities are to prosecute criminal cases on behalf of law enforcement agencies, forensic scientists, and latent fingerprint examiners.
Individuals whose official responsibilities are supportive, such as those that involve typing, filing, accounting, office procedures, purchasing, stock control, food service, transportation, or building, equipment, or grounds maintenance are not eligible for the law enforcement or correction officer loan cancellation, regardless of where these functions are performed.