Department of Public Safety News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 09, 2012

Nominations open for Medal of Valor, Missouri's highest award for public safety officers

The nomination deadline for the Missouri Medal of Valor is March 31
The Missouri Department of Public Safety announces that nominations are open for the state's annual Medal of Valor award, which honors extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty by public safety officers. The nomination deadline for recognition of acts of valor during 2011 is March 31, 2012.
Missouri's Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor is awarded annually to public safety officers who exhibit "exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind, and unusual swiftness of action, regardless of his or her own personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life."
Roger D. Stottlemyre, chairman of the Missouri Medal of Valor Review Board, encourages public safety leaders across the state to nominate deserving public safety officers for the award. "The Medal of Valor is Missouri's highest award for those brave public safety officers who go above and beyond their normal duties risking their own lives in an attempt to protect the public," said Stottlemyre, a former superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and currently executive director of the Missouri Gaming Commission. "I strongly recommend that the leaders of public safety agencies consider nominating deserving individuals for this prestigious award.”
On Nov. 2, 2011, Gov. Jay Nixon awarded eight Medals of Valor to public safety officers for heroic acts performed during 2010: ·    Mathew R. Crosby, Rock Hill Police Department ·    Donald L. Doza, Missouri State Highway Patrol ·    Joseph R. Haman, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department ·    Steven M. Landsness, O'Fallon Police Department ·    Jorden G. Lewis, Rock Hill Police Department ·    Darren M. Rodgers, Arnold Police Department ·    Kenneith D. Smith Jr., St. Joseph Police Department ·    Gerald L. Williams, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

Eligible individuals must serve a public agency, with or without compensation, as a firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency medical personnel. State and local corrections, court and civil defense officers are also eligible.
The Department of Public Safety will receive applications postmarked by March 31, 2012 and forward them to the Missouri Medal of Valor Review Board. Applications are available in the "Popular Links" section of the DPS Web site at: www.dps.mo.gov.  Because original signatures are required, applications must be printed, completed and mailed to:
State of Missouri, MO DPS Medal of Valor Review Board 301 West High Street, Room 870 Jefferson City, MO 65102

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For more information, call 573-751-5432 or e-mail mike.oconnell@dps.mo.gov