Seattle Police Awards Ceremony
Seattle Police Awards Ceremony
The Seattle Police Awards Ceremony is our opportunity to leverage our partnership with the Seattle Police Department to tangibly demonstrate to Seattle’s law enforcement professionals that their work is valued and appreciated. This inspiring evening honors the excellence, bravery, and compassion of SPD officers and civilian staff who go above and beyond the call of duty to keep our community safe 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The honorees are identified by SPD leadership, while SPF donors provide the platform from which their accomplishments are celebrated.
The next Seattle Police Awards Ceremony takes place March 20, 2025. We are looking for sponsors! If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship, please contact Events & Development Database Manager Jennifer Kelly at: jennifer@seattlepolicefoundation.org
The 2024 Seattle Police Awards Ceremony took place Thursday, March 21, at the King Street Ballroom and Perch, in downtown Seattle.
A total of 61 commissioned and civilian Seattle Police Department staff were recognized and celebrated for their extraordinary work ethic, selfless courage, and their profound willingness to put the safety of Seattle community members ahead of their own. It is one of our favorite nights of the year, and we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the incredible SPF supporters who make this evening possible.
We could not do this without you.
The evening began with a performance by Seattle Police Pipes and Drums and the National Anthem, which was sung by SPD Captain Krista Blair and Acting Lieutenant Will Cravens. The Seattle Police Honor Guard presented and retired the colors. The invocation was given by SPD Chaplain Charlie Scoma, who was followed by Seattle Chief of Police Adrian Z. Diaz and then Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess.
This year we were honored to welcome Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke to the stage for a keynote address, and were thrilled to have Emmy Award-winning journalist Brandi Kruse and iconic KOMO TV broadcast journalist Connie Thompson as emcees.
A total of 11 officers were recognized in the “of the year” category, while 13 officers of varying ranks earned merit awards for outstanding leadership. A total of 37 meritorious awards were given, including 11 Medals of Courage (the department’s third highest honor), 25 Medals of Valor (the department’s second highest honor), and 1 Medal of Honor, which is the department’s highest honor.
A couple highlights…
Medal of Valor: DESC Building Hostage Call
In July of 2023, members of SPD’s SWAT and Hostage Negotiation teams performed a joint mission at a Downtown Emergency Services Center supportive housing facility in Queen Anne. A man armed with a knife had barricaded himself inside the office with two female employees. He refused to let them to leave and was threatening them both with grave bodily harm. As the man’s behavior began to escalate, the SWAT sergeant ordered a SWAT hostage rescue. Within seconds, SWAT officers breached the facility, rescued the two women, and safely arrested the suspect.
Nine members of SWAT and HNT earned Medals of Valor for the heroism demonstrated throughout this successful mission.
Medal of Valor: Columbia Center Shots Fired
In November of 2023 in the wee hours of the morning, West Precinct officers responded to the Columbia Center building after security employees called 911 to report that a male had fired a gun in the lobby before exiting the building. Once they located the suspect, West Precinct officers attempted less lethal means to stop him from proceeding to a more populated area of the city.
These five officers exemplified courage and incredible teamwork as they safely stopped the erratic suspect and took him into custody. All five earned Medals of Valor for their coordinated use of team tactics and their willingness to expose themselves to danger in order to keep the Seattle community safe from an unpredictable, possibly armed suspect.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Thank you to sponsors AWS, Dunn Lumber, the Ellison Foundation, Climate Pledge Arena, Fremont Dock Company, Frey Buck PLLC, and SODO BIA for your generosity. In addition to our 3- and 4-star level sponsorships, this year we added a new, $250 Sponsor-an-Awardee level, which received phenomenal support from 30 local businesses and community members, including a few whose gifts sponsored multiple officers.
If you would like information on how to support the 2025 Seattle Police Awards Ceremony, please email us at: info@seattlepolicefoundation.org.
Highlights from Previous Years
The 2023 Seattle Police Awards Ceremony took place Thursday March 23, 2023 and was an amazing evening filled with stories of heroism, bravery, and compassion. Huge thanks to SPD’s hardworking Photo and Video Unit, along with our devoted SPF volunteers, who helped make this night so spectacular.
We want to thank emcees Connie Thompson and John Carlson for helping to showcase the tremendous bravery, accomplishment, compassion, and commitment of the men and women of the Seattle Police Department. This year, we saw record numbers of officers and civilian staff acknowledged for exceptional job performance, which speaks volumes about the amazing work being done by the Seattle Police Department every single day.
This year’s program celebrated the accomplishments of 155 officers and staff with Excellence Awards, 70 officers and staff with Lifesaving Awards, and another 59 officers and staff with Chief’s Awards. Officers from each Precinct were recognized as Precinct Officer of the Year, plus we celebrated Sergeant of the Year, Detective of the Year, Civilian of the Year, and Officer(s) of the Year.
Four officers were awarded Medals of Courage, 12 with Medals of Valor, and 14 officers were recognized and given the Department’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor.
Their stories of selfless courage were incredibly inspiring and we can’t wait to do it all over again next year. Thank you to the amazing SPF sponsors who made this event possible, including ‘True Blue Sponsors’ Directors Mortgage and HomeStreet Bank, ‘4-Star Sponsors’ AWS and the Ellison Foundation, and ‘3-Star Sponsors’ Fremont Dock Company, SODO BIA, and U-Park.
Additional thanks to the Seattle Police Pipes and Drums, the Seattle Police Honor Guard, Seattle Police Department Chaplain Charlie Scoma, Seattle Police Department Chief Adrian Z. Diaz, Seattle Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell, the Seattle Police Foundation Board of Directors, and the incredible staff at the King Street Ballroom and Perch!
More thanks to the members of our Event Planning Committee, who helped bring the ‘Standing Watch 2023’ vision to life. We are grateful to everyone who helped. As you can see, this event is the result of many individuals who were dedicated to making the 2023 Seattle Police Awards Ceremony memorable and rewarding for all involved. Thank you all so much!
Explore more Seattle Police Foundation content:
