Each year, the Oregon Peace Officers Association presents awards to law enforcement personnel who have performed exemplary deeds or services on behalf of their communities.  Anyone can nominate a potential candidate for an award in any applicable category.  Nominations will be reviewed by a committee made up of Oregon Peace Officers Executive Board members.  Award recipients will be selected and awards approved for those circumstances meeting the applicable award criteria. 

Awards are presented to the recipients at the OPOA Annual Awards Banquet held each year in conjunction with the OPOA Annual Training Conference. 

Awards are open to any working police officer, telecommunicator, reserve, corrections officer or others employed by a law enforcement agency.  The incident must have occurred in Oregon.  The recipient does not need to be a member of OPOA.  On-duty as well as off-duty incidents will be considered. 

OPOA specifically solicits award nominations from Chiefs, Sheriffs or other agency department heads.  Nominations containing the written endorsement of the officer’s department are preferable. Nominations must include the mandatory minimum information, which should be completed on the online nomination form.

The following information must be submitted:

• The candidate’s name, rank, current assignment, and years of service in Oregon.
• A description of the incident in which the applicant was involved, or other justification indicating why the award should be given.
• The nomination may recommend a specific award, but the Awards Committee reserves the right to select the most appropriate award or to decline the nomination if, in the committee’s judgment, the criteria is not met.
• Nominations may include supporting documentation such as police reports, audio or videotapes, internal memoranda, letters from outside sources or news accounts.  All submissions become the property of the Oregon Peace Officers Association. 

Once the Awards Committee reviews the nominations, recommendations will be forwarded to the OPOA Executive Board who will give final approval to all awards.

Please visit the Award Criteria page for further information and a listing of all award categories. If you have questions about submitting a nomination, please contact us and we will be happy to assist.

After reviewing the Award Criteria page, if you would like to nominate an officer for an award, please complete the online nomination form.