Description of Awards
Medal of Valor
The Medal of Valor is the Department's
highest award and may be awarded to members
who distinguish themselves by extraordinary
bravery or heroism when all of the following
exist:
- The act was above and beyond the normal
call of duty
- Where failure to take such action would
not justify censure where the risk of
life actually existed and the member
had sufficient time to consciously evaluate
the situation where the objective was
of sufficient importance to justify
the risk
- Where the member accomplished his objective,
or was prevented from same by incurring
a disabling injury or death, or by some
circumstance beyond his/her control.
Medal of Merit
The medal of Merit is the Department's
second highest award and may be awarded
to members who distinguish themselves
by bravery or heroism, or by exceptional
behavior, when one or more of the following
exists.
- The act saved the life of another
person, with a degree of danger to the
member not amounting to great physical
danger where the risk of life or great
physical danger actually existed, but
the member did not have sufficient time
to fully and consciously evaluate the
situation
- Where an Officer, who by exemplary
conduct and demeanor during an extraordinary
hazardous situation, resolves the same
without injury to any person, or resolves
the same with substantially reduced
injuries or death to others than may
otherwise have been reasonable expected
Distinguished Service Bar
The Distinguished Service Bar is the Department's
third highest award and may be awarded
to members who distinguish themselves
by performing exceptional service in a
duty of great responsibility or of critical
importance to law enforcement. Awards
for distinguished service are based on
exceptional performance of duty, clearly
above that normally expected, which has
contributed materially to the success
of the Department. Long and faithful service
is not considered for purposes of such
an award.
Commendation Bar
The Commendation Bar Certificate is the
Department's fourth highest award and
may be awarded to members for any of the
following:
- Unusual attention to duty
- Performance of their assigned functions
in an unusually effective manner
- For use of exemplary initiative in
performing an outstanding Police action
