Officers to be presented with Department’s highest honor at award ceremony tonight

For more information, contact:
KCPD Media Unit
816-234-5170

Two sergeants and two officers will receive the Medal of Valor – the Kansas City Missouri Police Department’s highest honor – at an award ceremony tonight for their actions trying to stop a dangerous suspect in a burning occupied apartment building with explosions happening all around them.

The award ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. today in the auditorium of the Kansas City Regional Police Academy, 6885 N.E. Pleasant Valley Rd.

Chief Richard C. Smith also will present Special Unit Citations to groups of officers and detectives who stopped major crime patterns in the Northland. Life-Saving Awards will go to officers who saved heroin overdose victims, gunshot victims and an armed man who tried to jump off a hotel balcony.

The officers and community members who helped create the Kansas City Assessment and Triage Center will be honored for filling a critical gap in care for Kansas City residents having a mental health or substance abuse crisis.

Several department members also will receive Meritorious Service Awards for actions that improved community relations, reduced case backlogs and reduced 911 hold times.