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- Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 1 ALBANY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT 165 HENRY JOHNSON BOULEVARD ALBANY, NEW YORK 12210 COMMENDATIONS, DECORATIONS, AND AWARDS GENERAL ORDER NO: 2.3.15 Issue Date: September 13, 2015 Effective Date: March 1998 Revision Date: April 2012 CALEA: 26.1.2 Volume 2: Logistics Chapter 3: Personnel Distribution: All Personnel NYSLEAP: 17.1 Issuing Authority: Chief Eric Hawkins Page: 1 of 13 PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to establish policies, criteria, and procedures for awards and recognition of individual Albany Police Department employees and/or Albany Police Department units. POLICY: It is the policy of the Albany Police Department to recognize employees and units for exemplary or extraordinary performance, on a sustained basis, for acts of heroic or exemplary performance, and for special skills, certifications, and qualifications. DEFINITIONS: Breast Bar – A breast bar means an authorized ribbon resembling an awarded medal, commendation, certification, qualification, or specialized unit. Certificate – Certificate means a document serving as evidence or as written testimony of status, qualifications, privileges, or the truth of something. Combat – Combat means a fight or contest between individuals or groups. Consciousness – Consciousness means the quality or state of self-awareness or the awareness of an external object or something within oneself. Gallantry – Gallantry means fearless, spontaneous conduct at the certain risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, which clearly sets the officer apart from all other peers. Minimum level of valorous performance in combat that is consistent with a recommendation for the Medal of Honor. Medal – A medal means a flat piece of metal, often a disk but sometimes a cross, star, or other form, usually bearing an inscription or design, issued to commemorate a person, action, or event, or earned as a reward for bravery or merit. Valor – Valor means heroism performed under extreme hazardous or life threatening conditions. Adversary – Adversary means a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks. Eric Hawkins Chief of Police 1789 ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 2 I. DEPARTMENT AWARDS A. Medal of Honor: 1. The Medal of Honor is awarded to an officer who distinguishes himself or herself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an adversary; while engaged in law enforcement operations involving conflict with an opposing adversary; or while working with outside agencies engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing adversary. 2. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her peers, and must have involved risk of life. 3. Incontestable proof of the performance of the service will be exacted and each recommendation for the award of this decoration will be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit. B. Combat Cross Medal: 1. The Combat Cross Medal is awarded to an officer for an individual act of heroism arising from an engagement in physical and/or armed combat with an armed adversary despite an imminent personal hazard or risk to his/her life. The Medal of Honor recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; Green Breast Bar with Gold Stars; and Medal. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2. The Combat Cross recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; Green Breast Bar; and Medal. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 3 C. Medal of Valor: 1. The Medal of Valor is awarded to an officer for an act of outstanding heroism and bravery performed in the line of duty, under circumstances evincing a conscious disregard of personal consequences and safety. D. Exceptional Duty Award: 1. The Exceptional Duty Award (EDA) is awarded to an employee for a highly credible accomplishment, on or off-duty, to the Albany Police Department, or the police profession, as a result of devotion to duty, training, or service to the public. a. The EDA may be made awarded for acts of valor performed under circumstances described above, which are a lesser degree than required for an award of the Combat Cross Medal. b. The EDA may be awarded for acts of non-combatant related heroism, which do not meet the requirements for an award of the Medal of Valor. c. The EDA may be for awarded for acts which brings public acclaim to him or herself. The Exceptional Duty Award recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; and Orange Breast Bar. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2. The Combat Cross recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; Dark Blue Breast Bar; and Medal. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 4 E. Life Saving Award: 1. The Life Saving Award is awarded to an officer for an act performed in the line of duty, which, through a conscious disregard of personal safety or a prompt, alert action that resulted in the successful saving of a human life by rescue or physical medically related efforts. F. Purple Heart Award: 1. The Purple Heart Award is awarded to an officer who while on duty, has been wounded or has sustained a serious physical injury as a direct result of hostile adversary action. a. While clearly an individual decoration, the Purple Heart differs from all other decorations and awards in that the individual officer is not, “recommended” for the decoration; rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting the above specific criteria. The Purple Heart Award recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; and Purple and White Breast Bar. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2. The Life Saving Award recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; and Red and White Breast Bar. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 5 G. Meritorious Service Award: 1. The Meritorious Service Award is awarded to an employee who distinguishes him or herself by outstanding meritorious achievement while: a. Performing a conscious act of intelligent and valuable police service demonstrating the determination to go beyond the scope of expected daily duties. b. Performing a series of highly credible acts of police service over an extended period of time. H. Community Service Award: 1. The Community Service Award is awarded to an employee for: a. Performing an act which demonstrates devotion to community service; or b. Implementing an idea which improves conditions within a community and positively impacts the community. The Community Service Award recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; and Blue, White, Green, and Gold Breast Bar. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2 to the right of star. The Meritorious Service Award recipient shall receive the following: Certificate; Green, White, Blue, and Gold Breast Bar. The Second Award will be indicated by a centered Gold Numeral 2. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 6 The Unit Citation recipients shall receive the following: Certificate; and Gray Breast Bar. The Second Award will be indicated by a Gold Numeral 2. The Service Bar recipients shall receive the following: White Breast Bar with Gold Roman numeral indicating years of service. = 5 years, = 10 years, “XV” = 15 years) I. Unit Citation: 1. The Unit Citation is awarded to each of the uniformed and non-uniformed personnel of a specific unit in recognition of the constant dedication, hard work, and excellence demonstrated in their daily duties, no matter if the unit is a permanent unit or a detailed unit. 2. The unit must show such outstanding devotion and superior performance of exceptionally difficult tasks as to set it apart and above other units. J. Time in Service Bar: 1. The Time in Service Bar is automatically awarded to an officer for every five years of police service. K. Annual Awards: 1. The Annual Awards are awarded to personnel who have continuously demonstrated superior achievement both on and off-duty throughout the corresponding calendar year. 2. These achievements are notated by the Commanding Officer of each nominee along with a brief explanation as to why a particular Albany Police Department employee has been nominated. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 7 2015 The Unit Citation recipients shall receive the following: Plaque; and Red, Gold, and Blue Breast Bar containing the year they are recognized (Uniformed Members). 3. The following Annual Awards categories are presented each year to a selected nominee: a. Police Officer of the Year; b. The Teddy Flint Detective of the Year; c. The Lieutenant John Finn Supervisor of the Year Award; d. Bobby Caddell Telecommunications Specialist of the Year Award; and e. The Joan Salerno Non-Sworn Member of the Year Award. L. Chief of Police Letter of Recognition: 1. The Chief of Police Letter of Recognition is a written acknowledgement for noteworthy action or service that does not rise to the level of a higher award outlined in this policy. M. Employee Commendation: 1. An Employee Commendation is a written acknowledgement for noteworthy action or service that does not arise to the level of a higher award outlined in this policy. 2. An Employee Commendation may be awarded by any supervisor with factual knowledge of a specific action or service performed by an Albany Police Department employee, and may be presented to the employee at the discretion of the supervisor. 3. Supervisors shall complete an Albany Police Department Employee Commendation Form, APD Form # 456A shown on page 12 of this order. II. SERVICE BARS A. Service Bars are authorized breast bars indicating certifications and/or qualifications in special skills, achievements, memorial bars, and specialized units. 1. No other Service Bars, other than those outlined in this policy, are authorized for uniform display. 2. The following Service Bars are authorized for display in order of precedence, as outlined in this policy. a. Uniformed personnel may choose to display a maximum total of three service bars while on patrol utilizing the class Uniform. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 8 b. While wearing the Class Dress Uniform, personnel may choose to display Service Bars at their discretion. c. Service Bars are not an issued item. B. Authorized Service Bars: 1. The American Flag Bar is authorized for all uniformed personnel. 2. A 9/11 Memorial Bar is authorized for all uniformed personnel. . 3. Armed Forces Veteran Bars are authorized for uniformed personnel who are currently serving or have previously served in the United States Armed Forces. 4. A Black Service Bar is authorized for qualified members of the Albany Police Department Emergency Services Team. 5. A Red Service Bar is authorized for qualified members of the Albany Police Department Critical Asset Assessment Team. 6. The Field Training Officer Bar is authorized for qualified Albany Police Department Field Training Officers. 7. The Honor Guard Bar is authorized for qualified members of the Albany Police Honor Guard. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 9 2015 C. Order of Precedence: United States Flag Medal of Honor Combat Cross Medal of Valor Exceptional Duty Award Life Saving Award Purple Heart Meritorious Service Award Community Service Award Unit Citation Annual Award Time in Service Bar SERVICE BARS FOLLOW SERVICE BARS FOLLOW ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 10 III. PROCEDURES A. Any employee of the Albany Police Department may nominate a peer, subordinate or supervisor for an award or recognition. Submission for an award or recognition is not solely limited to a supervisor’s recommendation, nor is it limited to sworn members of the department. It is strongly encouraged that this program be utilized by all members of the Albany Police Department. When an employee desires to nominate a fellow employee for an award or recognition the following procedures shall be followed: 1. Complete an Albany Police Department Recommendation for Award Form, APD Form # 456 shown on page 13 of this order, and have it signed by the nominee’s Commanding Officer. 2. Forward the completed form and any associated documentation or reports relating to or supporting the nomination, to the designated lieutenant who is serving as the Awards Committee Administrator. a. The supporting documentation includes, but is not limited to: SIR, DIR, Arrest Records, Investigation Report, outside of agency letters, DVR, etc. 3. Upon receiving the Recommendation for Award Form, the Albany Police Department Awards Committee will convene to formally review the nomination(s) and all supporting documentation. 4. The Awards Committee will then make recommendations, as a result of majority vote, for awards based upon the comparison of the established criterion for each level of commendation against the merits and circumstances surrounding each nomination. 5. The Awards Committee will then forward the recommendations of the Award Committee to the Chief of Police. 6. The Chief of Police or his/her designee will review the recommendations. B. The Awards Committee will be comprised of the following members: 1. One Lieutenant; 2. One Sergeant; 3. One Detective; and 4. One Police Officer. C. The committee member holding the rank of lieutenant will function as the Awards Committee Administrator and report directly to the Commander of the Administrative Services Bureau. The additional Committee positions will be assigned by the Albany Police Officers Union and the Albany Police Supervisors Association. D. This program does not rescind or replace a supervisor’s ability to recognize an employee’s good work by completing an Employee Commendation Form. In the event that an employee performs an act that is noteworthy, but would not necessarily rise to the level of an award as outlined in this policy, supervisors are encouraged to complete an Employee Commendation Form for the employee’s personnel file. Employee Commendation Forms should not be forwarded to the Awards Committee and are to be handled within the squads. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 11 E. If a member of the Awards Committee is nominated for an award, that member shall remove him/herself from any discussion(s) and/or vote(s) which relate to the nomination. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 12 ---PAGE BREAK--- - Commendations, Decorations, and Awards, G.O. No. 2.3.15 Page 13