ii-07EmployeeAwardsAndRecognition

Revisions or additions are highlighted 1 (06/23/2025 ) ST. PETERSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER Subject: EMPLOYEE AWARDS AND RECOGNITION Index as: Awards Awards Committee Chief’s Award of Excellence Civilian Employee of Distinction Civilian of the Year Commendations Community Awards Departmental Awards Employee Awards Field Training Officer of the Year Herbert R. Sullivan Award Life Saving Award Meritorious Servic e Award Ned March/Bud Purdy Awards Officer of the Year Physical Fitness Award Police Officer of Distinction Probationary Officer “Rookie” of the Year Purple Heart Recognition of Performance Reserve Officer of the Year Telecommunicator of the Year Unit of the Year Accreditation Standards: 26.1.2 Cross Reference: Replaces : G.O. II -07, Awards and Rewards (April 29, 2024 ) This Order consists of the following sections: I. Policy II. Awards Committee III. Awards IV. Recognition of Persons Outside the Police Department V. Presentation of A wards VI. Notification I. POLICY A. This order establishes a policy for the recognition of St. Petersburg Police Department employees and for the recognition of private citizens or groups. B. There are two (2) categories of recognition: 1. Departmental Awards; and, 2. Community A wards. II. AWARDS COMMITTEE A. The Awards Committee will consist of the Chief of Police and the three (3) Assistant Chiefs. B. The Assistant Chief, Administrative Services Bureau, will be responsible for collecting nominations and facilitating the Committee meeting as necessary. C. The Awards Committee will meet semi -annually review nominations for Departmental awards . DATE OF ISSUE EFFECTIVE DATE NUMBER April 2016 Immediately II-07 Distribution: All Employees General Order II -07 Revisions or additions are highlighted 2 (06/23/2025 ) III. AWARDS A. The St. Petersburg Police Department presents ten (10) Departmental Awards to its employees. 1. Nominations for Departmental A wards may be initiated by any employee of the Police D epartment by submitting a nom ination memorandum through the Chain of Command along with any supporting documentation. Nominations are addressed to the A ssistant Chief, Administrative Services Bureau , and routed through the respective Chain of Command . 2. The following Departmental Awards are given to members of t he D epartment : a. Civilian Employee of Distinction – Presented on a bi-annual basis to a civilian employee of the Department in recognition of outstanding performance, or in recognition of a work -related achievement during the prescribed period of the calendar year. b. Polic e Officer of Distinction -- Presented on a bi-annual basis to a sworn officer of the D epartment in recognition of outstanding perfor mance, or in recognition of a work -related achievement during the prescribed period of the calendar year. c. Medal of Valor – Awarded to a member of the D epartment who, intelligently and in the line of duty, performs an act of gallantry and valor above and beyond t he call of duty, placing themselves in imminent personal hazard to life, and with knowledge of the risk posed by their actions. d. Purple Heart – Awarded to a member , who in the performance of their official duties , sustains a serious physical injury as the r esult of hostile behavior by another person using a deadly weapon. The Awards Committee may also consider injuries sustained from other non -intentional events such as fire, explosions, etc., as valid justification. e. Physical Fitness Award – Awarded to a member of the Police Department that participates in the annual Employee Wellness Incentive and scores above the 90th percentile. f. Life Saving Award – Awarded to a member of the Department who, in the performance of their duties, physically rescues a person from the likelihood of certain death . The circumstances in which the officer performed lifesaving action are of an unordinary or infrequent nature. g. Meritorious Service Award – Awarded to a me mber of the Department who, intelligently and in the line of police duty, performs an act of outstanding personal bravery at risk of personal injury and with kn owledge of the hazards involved or an exemplary act of courage or outstanding performance that b rings recognition to the Department or themselves. h. The Chief’s Award of Excellence – Awarded to a member of the D epartment who performs an act, or a series of acts, over a period of time, which demonstrate a high degree of professional excellence through the success of difficult police projects, programs, investigations, or situations, but which involve no personal hazard to the member. i. Herbert R. Sullivan Award – Awarded to a member of the Narcotics Unit who demonstrates exemplary performance and leadershi p. See SOD SOP I -02, Herbert R. Sullivan Distinguished Performance Award for the nomination and section process for this award. j. Probationary Officer “Rookie” of the Year – Awarded to an officer who was on probation during the previous calendar year who exhibited exemplary performance. B. The Department recognizes seven (7) annual award programs whereby community organization s or clubs recognize employees. 1. The awards and programs are: a. Civilian of the Year b. Unit of the