Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor

The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor (MOV) is cited by the Attorney General and awarded by the President to a public safety officer(s) who has exhibited exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind, and unusual swiftness of action, regardless of their own personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.

Under the MOV, a public safety officer is defined as a person serving a public agency, with or without compensation, as a firefighter, law enforcement officer, or emergency services officer. The term "law enforcement officer" includes a person who is a corrections or court officer or a civil defense officer.

For a nominee to be eligible to receive the MOV, a nomination must be completed and submitted via the online nomination system. In addition to the online nomination, an AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION form must be completed by the nominee and submitted before the MOV nomination will be moved forward to be considered. Additional supporting materials may also be uploaded to the nomination before being submitted. For any questions, please contact Gregory Joy at 202-514-1369, or [email protected].

All nominations must come from/be submitted with the approval of the agency head for the public safety agency that the nominee(s) works for. The “Summary of Valorous Conduct” information added to each nomination, must be based on the public safety agency head’s certification that the information provided is factually accurate. A separate online nomination is required for each nominee and can only nominate for a single event that occurred during the current eligibility period. The MOV Program is currently accepting nominations for events that take place between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024.

To Be considered for the Medal of Valor:

1. An online nomination must be completed and submitted via the MOV nomination system.
2. All required elements within the online nomination must be completed. The MOV nomination template will outline each individual element that is required with the nomination.
3. As part of the MOV nomination, the AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION form must be downloaded, completed by the nominee, and uploaded to the Nomination System within 5 business days of the close of the nomination submission period. For fallen nominees, the AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION form is not required. In its place, the nominating agency must upload a separate document (e.g., MS Word of Pdf) containing each element of information that is captured by the form. If a nominee is incapacitated and is unable to complete and sign the form, then a court appointed guardian for the nominee is required to complete and sign the form. In addition, the court document(s) detailing the guardianship appointment must also be uploaded. 
4. If you have any questions about the AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION form, please contact Gregory Joy at 202-514-1369, or [email protected].