May 31 marked the opening of the 2015–2016 Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor nomination period.
The highest national award for valor by a public-safety officer, this medal is awarded annually by the president or vice president of the United States to public-safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.
According to the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001, an act of valor is going above and beyond the call of duty and exhibiting exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind, as well as unusual swiftness of action, regardless of one's personal safety, in an attempt to save or protect human life.
To receive the Medal of Valor, public-safety officers must be nominated by the chief executive officer of their employing agencies, recommended by the bipartisan Medal of Valor Review Board and cited by the attorney general.
To learn more about the Medal of Valor, including how to nominate a public-safety officer, visit MedalOfValor.gov. Nominations must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on July 31, 2016.