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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicy 129 – AwardsOSHKOSH POLICE DEPARTMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TITLE: AWARDS POLICY SERIES: 129 Effective Date: February 21, 2020 Date Issued: February 6, 2020 Chief of Police: Dean Smith (signature on file) Date Signed: February 6, 2020 Statutory Reference: None CALEA Standard: 26.1.2 Final Review Completed: February 6, 2020 Review By: Command Staff / PSD Lieutenant Rescinds Policy Dated: July 27, 2016 SECTION DESCRIPTION 129.01 Policy Statement 129.02 Objective 129.03 Eligibility 129.04 Nomination Procedure 129.05 Awards Committee 129.06 Specific Awards 129.07 Awards Presentation 129.08 Wearing of Commendation Bars Appendix 129 A Nomination Form 129.01 POLICY STATEMENT Frequently our employees and/or citizens of the community perform heroic, exceptional and meritorious acts which result in outstanding service to the community. The Oshkosh Police Department will give recognition for those exceptional acts by presenting awards to those employees and/or citizens who perform them. The criteria for consideration for an award should include the significance of the action that improved the Department's ability to accomplish its mission, identification of the facts supporting the action that clearly went beyond the norm and/or the effectiveness of the person's action. 129.02 OBJECTIVE To establish a procedure that results in the proper recognition of outstanding public safety or community service. The awarding of medals will increase officer pride and further the Department's image of its officers and the citizens that aid in our on -going mission. 129.03 ELIGIBILITY A. The following persons are eligible to be nominated for and receive Departmental awards: 1. Any sworn or non -sworn employee of the Oshkosh Police Department, whether on or off duty. 2. Any Auxiliary Officer while on duty and under the supervision of the Oshkosh Police Department. 3. Any citizen is eligible for Departmental Commendation or the Citizen's Award. B. To be eligible for any award, the conduct must be in keeping with sound judgment and reflect honorably upon the police profession. 129.04 NOMINATION PROCEDURE A. Nominations shall be submitted on the Departmental Award Nomination Form (Appendix 129 A) by any employee of the Department and shall include the following: 1. The date, time, location, and report number of the incident. 2. Names of all Police Officers, Auxiliary Officers or employees involved in the incident. 3. For a Citizen's Award, the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all citizens involved, including eyewitnesses. 4. All nominations must include a detailed description of the recipient's actions and accomplishments that go beyond that of what would be considered normal or routine, along with any supporting documentation. B. An individual cannot submit a recommendation or advocate an award through another party, if he/she would be the recipient of the award. C. Nominations shall be forwarded with proper documentation to the Captain of the Administrative Services Bureau, who will in turn take them to the Awards Committee. D. Nominations shall come from within the preceding quarter for which the Awards Committee is considering awards, and be submitted no later than ten days after the end of the quarter. The Chief of Police may consider the designation of awards outside of this timeframe in exceptional situations. E. Members of the Command Staff may request issuance of Departmental Commendation awards outside Committee action with prior approval from the Chief of Police. All applicable documentation and Appendix 129 A must be forwarded to the Office of the Chief of Police for approval. A copy of all submitted and approved documentation shall be forwarded to the Awards Committee for records purposes and future consideration. F. The Chief of Police may award an employee for superior performance without prior action by the Awards Committee. 129.05 AWARDS COMMITTEE A. The Awards Committee shall be appointed by the Chief of Police and its members will serve a rotating three year term, with one third of the Committee rotated each year. The Committee will consist of the following: 1. The Captain of the Administrative Services Bureau (non -rotating Chairperson) 2. One (1) Lieutenant and one (1) Sergeant each coming from different bureaus 3. One (1) Detective 4. Two (2) Patrol Officers 5. One (1) civilian. B. Members of the Awards Committee shall serve at the discretion of the Chief of Police. A Committee member may be replaced, if deemed necessary or if it would serve the best interest of the Awards Program. The Chief of Police may appoint a temporary employee in the absence of a regular Committee member, if such action would serve to accomplish the purpose of the Committee. C. The Awards Committee shall convene no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter to review nominations. The review will include appropriate investigation to determine the nature of and details of the act. D. The Awards Committee will be responsible for approving or disapproving recommendations for awards, and if approved, forwarding a written recommendation to the Chief of Police. The recommendation shall include which individuals should receive an award and what level of award to consider. E. Four (4) members of the Committee must be present to constitute a quorum and there must be a majority of votes in favor of recommending the award. Each member's vote is of equal value. In the event of a tie, the Committee Chair will cast the deciding vote. F. The Awards Committee may choose to recommend an award of higher or lower level than what was suggested in the nomination. The Committee may act on its own initiative, after receiving a copy of the nomination, to further investigate an incident or an individual's actions. G. If an Awards Committee member is considered for an award, that member may not take part in the deliberation or voting for that particular award. 129.06 SPECIFIC AWARDS A. MEDAL OF VALOR This award is presented for an act of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary bravery that is easily recognized. The act must be in excess of normal demands and of such a magnitude that the person is fully aware of the imminent threat to life and acted above and beyond the call of duty in total disregard for his/her own personal safety. This medal can be awarded posthumously. Officers who receive this award will be automatically eligible for consideration for Officer of the Quarter and/or Officer of the Year. Officers who receive this award will be honored by the placing of their name on the Wall of Valor located within the Police Department. Note: This medal is in accordance with Presidential Executive Order 13161. B. LIFESAVING AWARD This award is presented to a Police Officer, Auxiliary Officer, or civilian employee who is directly responsible for saving a human life or substantially prolonging a human life. Officers who receive this award will be automatically eligible for consideration for Officer of the Quarter and/or Officer of the Year. This award is congruent with the Distinguished Service Medal which was previously outlined in this policy, if given for lifesaving efforts. C. COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD This award is presented to a Police Officer, Auxiliary Officer, or civilian employee for outstanding service to the community, to include a demonstrated understanding of particular community problems and concerns, and utilizing creative and significant efforts to address those issues. Considerations for this award should include, but are not limited to, volunteerism, innovation, initiative, exceptional interpersonal and team building skills as well as demonstrated leadership qualities. Employees who receive this award will be automatically eligible for consideration for Officer of the Quarter and/or Officer of the Year. This award is congruent with the Meritorious Service Medal which was previously outlined in this policy. D. POLICE OFFICER OF THE YEAR This award is presented to a Police Officer (below the rank of Sergeant) for his or her superior performance in the line of duty, by virtue of a single incident or over a period of time, within one calendar year. This designation reflects a commitment to duty, this Department, and the community, and performance above and beyond that of the officer's peers. The four officers chosen as Officers of the Quarter (described in Section H below) shall be considered as candidates for Officer of the Year. E. SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR This award is presented to a sworn or non -sworn supervisor for his or her superior performance in the line of duty. This designation shall reflect the dedicated efforts required to lead his or her personnel to an understanding and willing application of the Department's mission, goals and objectives. The supervisor selected must also demonstrate leadership qualities that promote team building, enhanced team performance and professional growth of the individual employee. This supervisor shall demonstrate, through his or her performance, a commitment to the community and improvement in Department functioning. F. TEAM POLICING OFFICER OF THE YEAR This award may be issued annually to an officer or officers (if involved in the same problem solving effort) who embrace the Team Policing philosophy and demonstrate they are community oriented, problem -solving focused, and data driven; while taking ownership in a reporting area neighborhood, proactively identifying and solving problems, forming partnership with community stakeholders, coordinating with team officers, and taking follow up measures with a positive outcome. G. CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR This award is presented to one non -sworn, civilian employee and reflects demonstrated proficiency in the applicable employee's position, above and beyond that of the employee's peers. It also reflects their superior performance in the areas of professionalism and commitment to the duty of their position, the Department, and the community. Eligible personnel for this award include all non -sworn, civilian support positions. H. POLICE OFFICER OF THE QUARTER This award is presented to a Police Officer (below the rank of Sergeant) for his or her superior performance in the line of duty, by virtue of a single incident or over a period of time, within a three month period. This designation reflects a commitment to duty, this Department, and the community, and performance above and beyond that of the officer's peers. The quarters shall be designated as January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December. The four officers chosen as Officers of the Quarter shall be considered as candidates for Officer of the Year. I. DEPARTMENT COMMENDATION This award is given to a Police Officer, Auxiliary Officer or civilian who has accomplished outstanding and/or meritorious achievements. The act may be a single act or a series of events in which the employee or civilian distinguishes himself/herself in an emergency or non -emergency conditions. This award is congruent with the Distinguished Service Medal which was previously outlined in this policy, if given for an event other than lifesaving efforts. NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCE OF DUTY This is for the performance of duty considered commendable and worthy of praise, but does not rise to the level of any of the other awards categories. Any Police Officer, Auxiliary Officer, or civilian employee may be cited for noteworthy performance of duty upon written recommendation of any person inside or outside the Department and approved by the Chief of Police. This award is congruent with the Letter of Commendation which was previously outlined in this policy K. CITIZEN'S AWARD The Department may give this award to any citizen who performs an act or acts that fit the criteria for any of the above awards. L. SERVICE AWARD Members who have served a minimum of 10 years in good standing on the listed special teams are eligible to receive this award at the conclusion of their service 129.07 A. 129.08 A. to the specialty team. The teams include: Honor Guard, Mobile Field Force, SWAT, Crash Investigation, Crisis Negotiator, Unmanned Aerial System, Field Training Officer, and Canine (5 years of service). AWARD PRESENTATION The Chief of Police will present all Department Awards (with the exception of Noteworthy Awards) at an annual public ceremony for officers, non -sworn employees, or their families when the award is presented posthumously. The Chief of Police may issue an insignia to be worn as part of the uniform to indicate an employee has been awarded the Medal of Valor, the Lifesaving Award, Departmental Commendation, Police Officer of the Quarter / Year, a Team Policing Officer of the Year, and Supervisor of the Year. WEARING OF COMMENDATION BARS Officers awarded any medal or commendation shall wear the corresponding bar on the daily uniform centered above the name plate on the right pocket. The commendation bar will be worn from right to left, starting with the most honored. Award 1. Medal of Valor - Gold 2. Lifesaving Award - Gold 3. Community Service Award - Silver 4. Police Officer of the Year - Silver 5. Supervisor of the Year - Gold 6. Team Policing Officer of the Year 7. Department Commendation Commendation Bar Blue Red/Blue Red/White/Blue Red/White/Lt. Blue Gold/Blue/Gold Blue/White/Blue White/Blue S. One Silver Star will be awarded for the second and subsequent awards up to the seventh award (one bar with six silver stars). One gold star will be awarded for the eighth and subsequent awards up to the thirteenth award (one bar with six gold star). C. The Department recognizes all awards issued under previous versions of this policy.