Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor

Nominations must meet all of the following required criteria (Items A through E):

1. Nominations are to be made by the chief public safety officer in the jurisdiction where the act of heroism occurred.  If the act occurred outside of the employing agency's jurisdiction, the chief public safety officer of the employing agency must also approve the nomination.
2. Award is for a single act (24 hours or less) in the preceding calendar year.
3. Nominee may be in on-duty or off-duty status.
4. Recognition for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty.
   1. Extraordinary is defined as going "beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly exceptional, remarkable."
   2. Valor is defined as "courage and boldness, as in battle; bravery."
5. Public safety officers face danger daily; thus, this recognition is for:
   1. A single act of valor that is very seldom encountered and of a magnitude strikingly above the norm of public safety officer acts of bravery; or
   2. A situation that presented a serious and immediate threat to the nominee's life.
6. Other criteria for consideration (Items F through I are not required, but may be considered by the Review Board):
1. Nominee risked their life to save the life of another safety officer or civilian.
7. Nominee demonstrated, in this act, an exceptional degree of professionalism as appropriate to their specialty:
   1. Tactics, marksmanship, or leadership
   2. Firefighting or rescue skills
   3. Medical knowledge or skill
8. Nominee demonstrated extraordinary personal character:
   1. Courage
   2. Endurance
   3. Calm in the face of danger
9. Nominee accomplished assigned mission:
   1. Suspect apprehended or killed
   2. Person rescued
   3. Life saved

The nominating agency head must certify to the best of their knowledge that the nominee is in good standing with the employing agency and their community.

Nominations can be submitted annually beginning January 1 through May 1, for incidents taking place within the preceding calendar year. All nominations must be postmarked by May 1st.

The nomination package should be prepared with attention to detail and follow the guidelines contained in this bulletin to ensure proper consideration by the Review Board. Nominations must include the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Nomination Form to ensure all elements are addressed.

Nomination packages must include information clarifying what happened during the incident (i.e., diagrams, body camera footage, chronology, distances, time lags, first officers of scene, etc.)

Nomination packages submitted incomplete, incorrect, or received after the postmark will not be considered. Clear and concise information is needed. Officers on loan to multi-jurisdictional task forces may be nominated by either the head of their employing agency or that in which they were working at the time of the incident.

The Medal of Valor Award letter of nomination and/or the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Award Nomination Form must be signed by the nominating agency head (defined as the person in charge of the department or agency, such as the Sheriff, Chief, or Director); if the appropriate signature is not included, the nomination will not be accepted.

Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Nomination Form (Fill-in form required for all applications. Please download the template to view the fillable PDF version. You may be required to use a current version of the Adobe Reader software to use the fillable template.)

Pursuant to Government Code section 3402, the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Review Board is comprised of one representative from each of the following organizations:

• The California Association of Highway Patrolmen
• The California Fire Chiefs Association
• The California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations
• The California Correctional Peace Officers Association
• The California Peace Officers' Association
• The California Police Chiefs Association
• The California Professional Firefighters
• The California State Firefighters’ Association
• The California State Sheriffs’ Association
• The California Statewide Law Enforcement Association
• The Peace Officers Research Association of California
• The United States Lifesaving Association

Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act: Text of Law

Governor's Medal of Valor Website