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\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER TITLE ACCREDITATION Department Awards CALEA Chapter 26 PROPONENT UNIT PRIOR REVISIONS Department Awards Committee 08/01/01, 07/18/03, 11/15/12, 06/19/17 ATTACHMENT: 0 NUMBER ISSUE DATE REVISION DATE TOTAL PAGES 26.4 07/01/98 02/23/22 8 I. PURPOSE: This Order establishes procedures for bestowing Department awards. II. POLICY: The Department shall give recognition to those members whose performance of duty is exceptional and brings credit and honor to themselves and the Department. The Department will have at minimum one Awards Ceremony per year. [CALEA 26.1.2] III. PROCEDURE: A. Awards Nomination Form: Department members may make an award nomination by submitting an Award Nomination Form to the Awards Committee Chair via the chain- of-command. The Award Nomination Form is comprised of six areas, listed as follows: 1. Tracking: Includes date received and a control number. 2. Administrative: Includes information on the candidate nominated, the award recommended, and chain-of-command review. 3. Summary: A brief narrative that describes the actions meriting the award. 4. Justification: A series of brief, written statements that focus on the accomplishment and how the member’s actions positively affected the Department’s mission or the community. 5. Committee Chair Review: Indicates whether the Committee Chair agrees that the Awards Nomination Form meets the basic required criteria. Submissions that do not meet the criteria for the recommended award or that are incomplete (or otherwise unacceptable) will be returned to the person making the submission, via the chain-of-command, for clarification and/or correction before approval is considered. 6. Committee Review/Action: Completed by the Committee Chair to signify the committee’s decision.\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT B. Award Criteria: 1. Medal of Valor: Presented to a Department member who performs an act that: i. Poses imminent danger to his or her life, ii. Displays outstanding bravery and courage, and iii. Protects the life of another. 2. Distinctive Service Award: Presented to a Department member who performs an act that: i. Poses a danger to his or her life, ii. Displays bravery or courage, and iii. Protects life or property, enforces the law, preserves the public peace, prevents criminal acts, or apprehends a criminal 3. Police Star: Presented to a Department member who renders life-saving assistance to another person, such as: i. Conducting a search and rescue mission to locate missing or endangered persons, ii. Administering first-aid that serves to minimize injury or save a life. iii. Employing the use of alternative and non-lethal strategies and techniques that helped to de-escalate any situation to avoid great bodily injury. 4. Award of Excellence: Presented to a Department member who performs an act that: i. Exemplifies diligence, innovation or excellence, and ii. Makes a significant contribution toward the achievement of the Department’s mission, goals, or objectives. 5. Excellence in Community Policing Award: Examples under this category include engaging in significant problem-solving activities, the creation of productive community partnerships, or the implementation of new community policing programs or initiatives that build and enhance trust and community satisfaction. All department members are eligible for this award. 2\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT 6. Outstanding Unit Citation: Awarded to the members of any Department organizational sub-component who perform an act that demonstrates diligence, dedication, innovation or perseverance which results in: i. Exceptional service in a duty of critical importance, or ii. Achieving a departmental goal and/or objective. 7. Exceptional Incident Response Citation: Awarded to the members of the Department, who are not assigned to a formally-recognized unit and/or may be assigned to different divisions, who spontaneously respond to an unusual or extraordinary event, perform in cooperation, and render a superlative outcome to the event, engaging in an act that: i. Demonstrates diligence, dedication, and the willingness to identify and arrest suspect(s), and/or ii. Preserves the life of a citizen, and/or iii. Diffuses a situation having the potential to be a threat to public safety and law enforcement responders alike, and/or iv. Performs an act of community service or outreach that personifies the goals and mission statement of the Department 8. Police Service Award: Awarded to non-sworn department members or public citizens who perform an act related to the law enforcement function that: i. Contributes significantly to a special community project, ii. Constitutes humanitarianism or heroism, iii. Improves the quality of life within the Department or community. 9. US Military Service Award: Awarded to Department member who serves/has severed with honor in a branch of the US Military. i. If still serving with the US Military, continues to serve honorably (verifiable through member’s current military chain of command) ii. If no longer serving within the US Military, received an honorable discharge (verifiable with a US Department of Defense Form 214 (DD Form 214). 10. Educational Achievement Award: Presented to any member for achieving a Bachelor Degree level or higher in pursuit of higher education and career development while employed with the Department. 11. Officers of the Month/Officer of the Year: Awarded to the sworn or civilian Department members recognized monthly for their contributions and exceptional service. The Officer of the Month recognition will not preclude the recognized Department member from receiving any of the above awards in addition to the 3\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT Officer of the Month award. An Officer of the Year will be selected via recommendations forward to command staff which include but is not limited to the Officer of the Month recipients. Officer of the Month/Officer of the Year nominations are not forwarded to the awards committee but do receive ribbons provided by the committee. C. Department Awards Committee: A committee, comprised of Department members both sworn and non-sworn, which reviews, oversees and conducts the awards process. 1. Composition: The Awards Committee shall be composed of: i. An Awards Committee Chair, who will be the rank of lieutenant and selected by the Chief; ii. One sworn member from each bureau, when possible; The respective bureau commander shall select the committee member; iii. Two civilian members. 2. Supervision: The chairperson shall be responsible for: i. Receiving, reviewing, and recording Award Submission Forms, ii. Presenting Award Submission Forms to the Awards Committee, iii. Supervising the Committee meetings iv. Ensuring that the Committee adhere to award criteria when approving nominations v. Planning and organizing awards ceremonies, vi. Maintaining a record of awards presented. 3. Process: A formal vote by the Committee with a majority rule is required to approve an award nomination. i. Each member of the Committee votes once per nomination. ii All awards (with the exception of the Officer/Civilian of the Month/Year Awards) shall be reviewed / approved by the Awards Committee. 4. Certificates: Awards will be evidenced by a certificate signed by the Chief of Police. D. Insignia: All awards will be represented, at a minimum, by a ribbon to be worn on the duty uniform. 1. Medal of Valor: Medal: A gold-colored medal of a design determined by the 4\n\n--- Page 5 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT Department, (currently a cluster with the Great Seal of the State of Florida in colored enamel in the center, with the words ‘Gainesville Police Department’, and hung on a blue ribbon). Ribbon: White in the center one-third of the ribbon and equal amounts of blue on each side of the white. A gold ‘V’ in the middle of the white (centered on the ribbo