Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Retired Law Enforcement Officers Identification Act (RLEIA)

    The RLEIA establishes uniform identification and qualification cards for retired Pennsylvania law enforcement officers and a method of conducting their annual firearms qualifications.

    Overview

    On July 22, 2004, Congress enacted the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA). The intent of LEOSA was to exempt qualified current and retired law enforcement officers from state laws prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons while traveling from state to state. LEOSA requires retired law enforcement officers to have a photographic identification card to identify them as retired law enforcement officers. LEOSA also requires the retired law enforcement officer to maintain an annual qualification with their firearm.

    In response to LEOSA, on December 13, 2005, the Governor signed Act 79, the Retired Law Enforcement Identification Act (RLEIA). RLEIA tasked the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) with establishing uniform identification and qualification cards for retired law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania and a method of conducting annual firearms qualifications for such individuals.

    The final regulations for the Retired Law Enforcement Identification Act (Act 79 of 2005) were published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on September 12, 2009, and amended (as noted) in December 2014. Forms and additional information can be found in:

    RLEIA roles and responsibilities

    RLEIA frequently asked questions