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The Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor is the only state decoration issued by the state of Washington to law enforcement officers, and is established by the
Revised Code of Washington The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the compilation of all permanent laws currently in force in the U.S. state of Washington. Temporary laws such as appropriations acts are excluded. It is published by the Washington State Statute Law Committ ...
. (Individual municipal jurisdictions issue lesser awards to law enforcement officers and the state has three statutory civilian decorations:
the Washington Medal of Merit The Washington Medal of Merit is one of three statutory civilian decorations issued by the state of Washington, the others being the Washington Medal of Valor and the Washington Gift of Life Award (formerly the Washington Gift of Life Medal). Wa ...
, Washington Medal of Valor and the Washington Gift of Life Award). Washington law does not describe an
order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...
for state decorations and the Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor is not customarily placed in relation to other state decorations.


Medal


Qualifications

All law enforcement officers in the state of Washington (including both those commissioned under the authority of state of Washington, as well as those of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
), living or dead, who have been seriously injured or killed while in the performance of duty, or who have been distinguished by exceptionally meritorious conduct, are eligible to receive the medal from the
Governor of Washington The governor of Washington is the head of government of Washington and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.WA Const. art. III, § 2. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws,WA Const. art. III, § 5. the power to either a ...
. In issuing the medal, the Governor acts on the recommendation of the "law enforcement medal of honor committee," which consists of the Attorney-General of Washington, a representative of the Governor, and delegates from four police associations. While any person is eligible to nominate a law enforcement officer for the Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor, all nominations must be seconded by a
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
or
chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...
of the state of Washington before being submitted to the committee for consideration.


Design and presentation

The Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor is bronze. It depicts the Seal of Washington centered on the obverse side surrounded by the words "Law Enforcement Medal of Honor." The reverse of the decoration is inscribed with the words "for exceptionally honorable and meritorious conduct in performing services as a law enforcement officer." By custom, the medal is annually awarded by the Governor to a slate of recipients during the first week of May in a ceremony held at the Peace Officers Memorial in
Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. Europea ...
. The medal is worn as a
neck decoration A necklet is a type of decoration which is designed to be worn and displayed around a person's neck, rather than hung (draped) from the chest as is the standard practice for displaying most decorations. In the Middle Ages most order's insignias ...
, and is the only non-military neck award issued by Washington.


Background

The Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor was established in 1994 by an act of the Washington Legislature. As of 2014,
Seattle police The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States, except for the campus of the University of Washington, which is under the responsibility of its own police departmen ...
officer David Sires, who was shot to death while pursuing suspect Benjamin Payne in October 1881, is the longest deceased officer to have received the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor, which was posthumously awarded in 1998 (Sires' last living relative having died in 1939, the medal was accepted on his behalf by a representative from the Seattle police department).


See also

* Awards and Decorations of the Washington National Guard *
Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor is the highest decoration for bravery exhibited by public safety officers in the United States, comparable to the military's Medal of Honor. History The original Medal of Valor was established on June ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor Decorations and medals of Washington (state) Awards established in 1994 1994 establishments in Washington (state)