DPS Awards and Commendations
The Utah Department of Public Safety is proud to recognize the outstanding work of our employees and partners who help us keep Utah safe.
Nomination Form
To nominate an individual or unit for an award, please use the nomination form provided below.
Awards Descriptions
These are also available in the nomination form.
| PURPLE HEART MEDAL |
1. The Purple Heart Medal honors a Department member who, in the honorable performance of his or her duties, receives a serious or disabling injury. 2. Injuries may be a result of, but not limited to, the following activities: a. Confrontation with a violent adversary or an armed offender. b. A criminal act perpetrated upon a Department member. c. An accident occurring in connection with any of the above. d. An accident occurring while attempting to save a human life. 3. The Purple Heart Medal shall not be awarded retroactively except in extraordinary cases approved by the division director. |
| MEDAL OF VALOR |
1. The Medal of Valor may be awarded to an individual who gives his or her life in the line of duty while performing an act of saving human life, or distinguishes himself or herself by the performance of an act of outstanding courage and self-sacrifice involving an absolute and imminent risk of death. Further, such act: a. Must have been performed when there is no alternative but to act if a life is to be saved. b. Must be performed under conditions that without question go far beyond the call of duty, job responsibilities and professional expectations. c. Must render himself or herself conspicuous by an act so outstanding that it clearly distinguishes his or her courage from lesser forms of recognizable bravery. d. Failure to take action would not justify censure. e. Must be no doubt or possibility of error in awarding this honor. |
| PUBLIC SAFETY STAR |
1.The Public Safety Star recognizes a member of the Department for extraordinary acts or accomplishments distinguishable from lesser forms of nonetheless exceptional service. a. The action taken must clearly stand out above expected professional standards of performance. b. The action must be in an area of great responsibility or of critical importance to the Department and citizens of the state of Utah. c. The action must reasonably bring honor and distinction to the Department. d. A recipients training, background, and job expectations may be considered in determining the extraordinary nature of an action honored by the Public Safety Star. |
| LIFE SAVING MEDAL |
1. The Life Saving Medal may be awarded to an individual who saved or attempted to save a life, under those circumstances where immediate action is necessary and the employee’s conduct exceeds professional standards and expectations. 2. The Life Saving Medal may include: a. Service or achievement during a major emergency or special department operation when an action may have directly reduced risk of or prevented the occurrence of a serious accident or social calamity; b. Risk of life or limb to an extraordinary degree in saving or attempting to save another life; c. Potential for loss of life or serious injury to the recipient in performance of the action was provable, but may not have been perceived as a certainty. Failure to have taken the action would not justify censure. |
| DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL |
1. The Distinguished Service Medal may be presented to an individual who sustained superior performance that is clearly above and beyond expected professional standards. It may take a minimumof ten years of exceptional service to receive this award unless there are extraordinary circumstances. Criteria for this award may include: a. Continual demonstration of exceptional personal qualities such as self-motivation, dedication, persistence, strength of character, integrity, or leadership when used in the performance of duty. |
| PUBLIC SAFETY MEDAL OF EXCELLENCE |
1. The Public Safety Medal of Excellence is presented to an individual who accomplishes a service or task that goes beyond any normal assignment in a manner far above and beyond expected professional standards. Criteria for this award may include: a. A major milestone accomplishment, project or service which brings honor or distinction to the Department, or a project or service that enhances the safety or well-being of the citizens of the state of Utah. |
| DPS MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT |
1. This award recognizes a team or workgroup of the Department for extraordinary acts or accomplishments distinguishable from lesser forms of nonetheless exceptional service. The action taken must clearly go beyond any normal assignment in a manner far above expected professional performance standards while accomplishing a service or task. The action must be in an area of great responsibility or of critical importance to the Department, the citizens of Utah or the United States, and bring honor and distinction to the Department. |
| UNIT CITATION |
1. A Unit Citation recognizes organizational units of the Department below the bureau and section level, for exceptional performance resulting from a combined effort by the members of a team on a major milestone accomplishment or specifically assigned project. The performance is characterized by the ingenuity, creativity, professional conduct and dedication of the participants. Achievements recognized under this award contribute significantly to goals and principles of the Department and may reasonably bring honor and distinction to the Department. Awarding the Unit Citation does not preclude additional recognition or awards that may be due to individual members of the unit. The following guidelines are established in defining the size of the unit: a. A unit would be a group of eight or fewer individuals. b. With the approval of the Commissioner, groups larger than eight may be designated as being a unit. |
| CITIZEN COMMENDATION MEDAL |
1. The Citizen Commendation Medal recognizes an exceptional act of citizenship wherein an individual exhibits unusual courage in protecting or saving human life. |
| EXECUTIVE AWARD OF MERIT |
1. The Executive Award of Merit is awarded at the discretion of the Commissioner, and is presented to an organization or citizen who performs an extraordinary service, or accomplishes a highly credible act while promoting the Department, its members, or its mission. |
| CITIZEN SERVICE AWARD |
1. The Citizen Service Award recognizes an exceptional act of citizenship wherein an individual contributes his or her service in a duty of great responsibility or of critical importance to the Department and the citizens of the state of Utah. The award recognizes outstanding community service performed in a manner above and beyond that considered to be ordinary civic duty. |