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