The Departmental Awards Program is designed to honor particularly meritorious service and conduct performed by members of the department.

The command staff will be responsible for the fiscal, logistical, and administrative aspects of the program, as well as acting as staff support of the Meritorious Conduct Board.

Nominations may be submitted by any member of the department. They should be forwarded with the proper documentation to the command staff for review. Nominations must be submitted within twelve months of the occurrence of the act or event. All awards will be presented at an appropriate time, as determined by the Chief of Police.

The purpose of the Meritorious Conduct Board is to review cases involving particular meritorious service and to make recommendations to the Chief of Police for proper recognition of exceptional acts performed by eligible persons.

Duties of the Meritorious Conduct Board will be as follows:

• Receive all recommendations for awards, except in the cases where the specific award is granted automatically.
• Convene as needed, during the regular command staff meetings, to review details of recommendations submitted.
• Through a review process, approve or disapprove recommendations for awards and, if merited, determine the type of award to be given.
• If necessary, the Board shall conduct inquiries to verify facts or develop additional information in a case.

The Medal of Honor is to be awarded to one whom voluntarily and conspicuously distinguishes themselves by gallantry and extraordinary heroism. The act must be in excess of normal demands and of such a nature that the person was fully aware of the imminent threat to their personal safety and acted above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of their life.

This award ranks next in prominence to the Medal of Honor. It is awarded to one for exceptional bravery at imminent risk of serious bodily injury, the recipient demonstrating exceptional courage by performing a voluntary action in an extremely dangerous situation.

The Meritorious Service Bar is to be awarded to one for meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility. This service must show such excellence of performance that it distinguishes the individual and the department.

This award ranks next in prominence to the Meritorious Conduct Bar. It is to be awarded to one for outstanding performance through the success of difficult police operations, projects, programs, or situations requiring exceptional dedication.

This award ranks next in prominence to the Commendation Bar. It is to be awarded to one for excellence in police work. It should be exceptional performance of duty over a period of time under unusual, complicated or hazardous conditions. Such performance is to be clearly defined as exceptional, placing a person well above others of equal rank or grade. This award may not be given in conjunction with another award for the same service or deed.

The Citizen's Merit Award is presented to members of the community for providing material assistance to the police department in solving crimes, apprehending criminals, recovering property, or otherwise assisting the department in fulfilling its mission.

The Purple Heart is to be awarded to one who is seriously injured in the performance of duty under honorable conditions due to assaults, fires, explosions, or other overt actions. Serious injury is defined as "any injury resulting from a life threatening situation which requires substantial medical treatment." The Purple Heart will be awarded for one who has lost their life in the performance of duty under honorable circumstances. The Purple Heart may be awarded in addition to any other award the recipient may be entitled to as a result of their actions.

This medal is to be awarded to one who is directly responsible for the saving of a human life or the substantial prolonging of a human life. The term substantial should imply an extended period of days or weeks. Documentation of supporting evidence must be included to substantiate the award, such as statements from witnesses, physicians or supervisors.

This award is to be given to any sworn police officer that demonstrates proficiency by shooting an average score of 98 or better with their primary issued service weapon and patrol rifle on both the day and night qualifying courses.

This award is to be given to any sworn police officer that demonstrates proficiency by shooting an average score of 95 or better with their primary issued service weapon and patrol rifle on both the day and night qualifying courses.

Any award of recognition or achievement presented to any individual member of the department or to the department as a whole from an outside agency or organization, wherein the award is indicated by a medal, bar, insignia, or other designation, may be authorized for wear at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

These awards are presented to sworn and non-sworn employees for outstanding service and activities to their department, community and profession. The awards are presented at the annual departmental banquet. Selection criteria includes:

• Team Work and Community Outreach – Officer/Employee excels in deliberate and effective communication with the community. Seeks opportunities to educate, inform and exchange ideas with the community about department programs and priorities. Demonstrates intra and inter divisional cooperation within the department; willing to pitch in and assist others; keeps others informed and up-to-date; gives specific and helpful feedback to improve job performance; shares their own work experiences and helpful information to help accomplish agency mission.
• Excellence and Innovation – Officer/Employee demonstrates the willingness to go beyond the call of duty by doing more than others expect. Continually seeks to improve efficiency on the job. Has identified means to increase constituent satisfaction and cost-savings for the department. Has taken steps to achieve implementation.
• Attitude and Leadership – Officer/Employee portrays a contagious, positive perspective to fellow workers and the community in everything they say, do, write and produce. Takes personal responsibility for meeting commitments and solving problems. Demonstrates standards of excellence and professionalism; exemplifies standards and conduct that reflect honesty and fairness; sets the example for others through their behavior.

The Advanced Certification Award is presented by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Training and Standards Commission. The department will recognize this achievement with the presentation of the corresponding black, red, and white pin. No other levels of certification will warrant the presentation of a uniform bar.

The medal presented will be worn only at the time of presentation. The Chief may authorize wearing of the medal at other times. 

Officers will only wear ribbons awarded when appearing in the class "A" uniform.

The order of precedence for wearing ribbons/badges/awards is as follows:

• Individual ribbons will be worn above the name tag.
• When facing the wearer, the ribbons will be worn from left to right as if reading a book.
• The highest awarded ribbon will be worn on top starting on the left.