FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2014


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

Nomination deadline is March 31 for heroic acts performed during 2013

Nominations are open for Missouri's annual Medal of Valor award, which honors extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty by public safety officers, the Department of Public Safety announced. The nomination deadline for recognition of acts of valor performed during 2013 is March 31, 2014.
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 Missouri's public safety leaders to nominate deserving public safety officers for the award. "Each year, Missouri's public safety officers perform truly heroic life-saving acts that are worthy of this unique and prestigious recognition from the state," said Stottlemyre, a former superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and currently executive director of the Missouri Gaming Commission. "I encourage Missouri public safety leaders to consider nominating those outstanding individuals who have served as role models to all in public safety.”
Nine Medals of Valor were awarded last year for heroic acts performed during 2012. 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, 2014 and forward them to the Missouri Medal of Valor Review Board. Applications are available on the DPS Web site at http://dps.mo.gov/medal/. 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