The New York City Police Department Medal of Honor is the highest law enforcement medal of the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

. The Medal of Honor is awarded for individual acts of extraordinary bravery performed in the line of duty at extreme risk and danger to life. The present NYPD Medal of Honor was created on October 23, 1973. Early versions of the decoration date as far back as 1871, when the Medal of Honor was known by a variety of names such as the "Police Silver Medal" and "Gold Medal of Valor". That medal was a silver or gold medal, either of which could be awarded at the discretion of the police commissioners, in the shape of the then shield of the department. On the obverse are the arms of the

City of New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, the names of the police commissioners, and the words "

Municipal Police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive funding ...

". On the reverse is an inscription describing the act for which the medal was awarded. Later that medal was changed to a silver medal in the shape of a police shield. On the obverse is the figure of a draped female placing a wreath upon the head of a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

. On the reverse is an inscription of the act of bravery and the names of the city's commissioners. The medal hangs from a ring and suspender on which the letters "NY" are interlocked (the current logo of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

is based on this element of the Tiffany-designed medal) and attached to a top bar that is inscribed with the word "valor". The stars on the green ribbon suspender commemorate the city's original 12 police constables, who began to patrol in the 1700s. The "Police Silver Medal" and "Gold Medal of Valor" was first awarded on August 17, 1871 to Patrolman Bernard Tull of the 19th Precinct who arrested a burglar after being shot at. It was last awarded on January 21, 1884. The New York City Police Department Medal of Honor was created in 1912 and was awarded until 1972, when it was redesigned. The New York City Police Department also maintains a

Medal of Valor This list of medals for bravery is an index to articles about notable medals awarded for bravery or valor. These medals, usually associated with military forces, police forces, or other public safety entities, are given to personnel who have serv ...

, presented for acts of bravery above the call of duty but not at the level required for the Medal of Honor, and the Combat Cross for life-threatening armed engagements with criminals, in addition to a wide variety of other medals.

Notable recipients

John Cordes John H. F. Cordes (August 9, 1890 – April 19, 1966) was a detective in the New York Police Department, once described by New York mayor Jimmy Walker as "the city's best cop". He is the only detective to have been awarded the department's Medal of ...

, the first detective to be awarded the Medal twice (1923 and 1927) *

Frank Serpico Francesco Vincent Serpico (born April 14, 1936) is an American retired New York Police Department detective, best known for whistleblowing on police corruption. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a plainclothes police officer working in B ...

(awarded in 1972)

References

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 valo ...

Awards established in 1973 1973 establishments in New York City {{award-stub

Notable recipients

See also

References