[12/18/2025- WASHINGTON D.C.] – Police Officers’ Defense Coalition (PODC) commends the final congressional passage of The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act, critical legislation that ensures the families of retired law enforcement officers who are murdered or permanently disabled due to targeted attacks related to their service are no longer denied federal benefits.

Included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and now heading to the President’s desk, this bipartisan measure corrects a longstanding gap in the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program—one that unjustly disqualified families like that of Chief Herbert D. Proffitt of Tompkinsville, Kentucky.

Police Officers’ Defense Coalition President Bert Eyler worked closely with Congressman Andy Barr’s office, meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and assisting in efforts to secure additional cosponsors for The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act. Mr. Eyler’s advocacy helped elevate the urgency of this issue and ensure Congressional leaders understood the real-world consequences faced by the families of retired officers targeted for their past service.

“This bill is a long-overdue fix that honors the service and sacrifice of police officers who, even in retirement, continue to face danger because they dedicated their lives to protecting the public,” said Bert Eyler, President of the Police Officers’ Defense Coalition. “Chief Proffitt’s murder was a direct retaliation for doing his job. No family should ever be denied benefits in such a circumstance. PODC is proud to have worked alongside Congressman Barr and other Congressional leaders to help get this critical bill across the finish line.”

Chief Proffitt, a Korean War veteran and decorated law enforcement officer of 55 years, retired in 2009 after serving as Chief of the Tompkinsville Police Department. On August 28, 2012, he was shot and killed in a targeted attack by an individual he had arrested a decade earlier. Despite clear evidence that the murder was retaliatory, the PSOB program denied his family benefits solely because he had retired.

The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act amends PSOB eligibility to ensure families of retired officers killed or disabled under similar circumstances receive the benefits they deserve. The legislation will also be applied retroactively to January 1, 2012, ensuring families from past cases are not left behind.

Police Officers’ Defense Coalition advances policies to support our law enforcement and opposes policies that  hamper their mission to protect and serve. We support legislative efforts that enhance law enforcement’s ability to make our communities safe and oppose legislation that will harm our communities. We support elected officials that stand by our men and women in blue and their ability to do their jobs and oppose those who prosecute, persecute, or endanger law enforcement and the communities they serve. For more information, visit policeofficersdefensecoalition.com 

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