The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor is the highest

decoration Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Othe ...

for bravery exhibited by

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensur ...

officers in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, comparable to the military's

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

History

The original Medal of Valor was established on June 29, 2000 by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

with his issuance of and was originally called the Presidential Medal of Valor for Public Safety Officers. Executive Order 13161 of June 29, 2000, ''Establishment of the Presidential Medal of Valor for Public Safety Officers'',

Federal Register The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on fede ...

, Vol. 65, No. 129, Wednesday, July 5, 2000
p. 41543
/ref> This award was later superseded to its current form with the enactment of the ''Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001'' (, , , May 30, 2001). It is still awarded and presented by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

but now it is done in the name of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

as recommended by the eleven-member Medal of Valor Review Board. The

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

no longer makes recommendations directly to the President but can provide input into the process via the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

's National Medal of Valor Office's support of the Review Board. The medal can still be awarded posthumously. Before the establishment of the Medal of Valor, there were no Federal awards to specifically acknowledge the bravery performed by public safety officers throughout the United States; police and firefighting departments typically award their members medals at a state or local government level. The establishment of the Medal of Valor filled a huge void in the civilian decorations system of the United States, which was all the more timely given the catastrophe in New York the following year on

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

. (In the end, however, the 442 public safety officers killed at World Trade Center and

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

that day were awarded the

9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor is a decoration in the United States, created specifically to honor the 442 public safety officers who were killed in the line of duty during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the ...

, a similar but separate award.)

Symbolism

The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, which intentionally resembles the military's

, is a gilt, blue-enameled, five-pointed, upside-down star (i.e. one arm points downwards), with each arm formed by a letter "V" (for ''Valor''), surrounded by a wreath of laurel. The central disc bears the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States. The reverse bears the legend "FOR EXTRAORDINARY VALOR ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY", with the name of the recipient engraved at the center. The medal is suspended on a gilt disc bearing a letter "V" surrounded by a wreath of laurels, which is in turn suspended on a neck ribbon, blue with white and red edge stripes (the national colors of the USA) and a gold center stripe (symbolizing honor). When the ribbon alone is worn, it carries a miniature gold gilt disc bearing a letter "V" surrounded by a wreath of laurels. There is also a lapel pin, which is the miniature of the medal without suspension. As the award is presented by the President, the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001 also repealed the previously awarded President's Award For Outstanding Public Safety Service (President's Award) and revised the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to remove the President's Award but keep the Secretary's Award For Distinguished Public Safety Service (Secretary's Award), which is an honorary award presented by the Director of the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

(FEMA) or the Attorney General for the recognition of outstanding and distinguished service by public safety officers.

References

External links

Department of Justice page on Medal of Valor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Safety Officer Medal Of Valor Civil awards and decorations of the United States Awards established in 2000 2000 establishments in the United States Acts of the 107th United States Congress Awards and decorations of the United States Department of Justice

History

Symbolism

See also

References

External links