200-20 Awards and Commendations

Question 1

The department ____employees and nondepartmental individuals who provide exceptional service to the department or the public at large.

Answer 1

honors

Question 2

The department’s awards coordinator ensures the continuity of the awards process and is assigned to the…

Answer 2

Office of Public Affairs

Question 3

The awards coordinator is responsible for:

a.
Accepting and preparing all Major and Police Week award nominations for submission to the ____.

b.
Coordinating all _____.

c.
Serving as the department’s liaison to employee groups, service organizations, and clubs (e.g., The 100 Club, Rotary Club, civic groups, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States) that give _____ to police employees.

Employees who wish to utilize these outside groups for awards or commendations for fellow employees shall_____

Answer 3

1) Awards Selection Committee
2) award ceremonies
3) awards and commendations
4) contact the awards coordinator.

Question 4

The Awards Selection Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) is composed of a
chairperson and ____members.

The members include ____classified employees, ____civilian employees, and ____members of the community who are actively involved with the department (e.g., Positive Interaction Program [PIP], Citizen Patrol).

The chairperson presides over all meetings but does not vote except ____.

Answer 4

1) 13
2) nine classified employees, two civilian employees and two members of the community who are actively involved with the department
3) in the case of a tie vote

Question 5

Committee members are selected as follows:

a.
Committee chairperson:

Answer 5

an assistant chief or classified division commander selected by the Chief of Police.

Question 6

Committee members are selected as follows:

b.
One classified employee from each…

Answer 6

of the eight commands

Question 7

Committee members are selected as follows:

c.
One civilian employee and one classified employee from the ____ including the Office of the Chief of Police, the Office of Budget and Finance, and the Office of Legal Services.

Answer 7

Chief of Police Command

Question 8

Committee members are selected as follows:

d.
One civilian employee from each of the ____ with two-year alternating terms. Because their terms are alternating, these employees will serve one at a time.

Employees may be selected from any of the subordinate commands.

Answer 8

two executive commands

Question 9

Committee members are selected as follows:

e.
Two members of the community approved by…

Answer 9

the Chief of Police

Question 10

(Awards Selection Committee)

Departmental members of the Committee shall be appointed by the assistant chief, executive
assistant chief, or Chief of Police of the ____ as outlined above from a list of those who have expressed…

Answer 10

1) concerned command

2) a desire to serve

Question 11

(Awards Selection Committee)

Members serve for two years from ____ of
their first year through ____ of their second full year.

Answer 11

1) July 1

2) June 30

Question 12

(Awards Selection Committee)

_____ members of the Committee shall be appointed during ____ to ensure retention of experienced Committee members at all times.

The chairperson serves as directed by the Chief of Police.

Answer 12

1) Seven

2) alternating years

Question 13

(Awards Selection Committee)

The Committee shall meet ____to consider all nominations provided by the awards coordinator. The Committee shall be guided solely by the ____ listed in this General Order for each award category. Members shall make a decision as a ____ whether each nomination meets the criteria specified for each award.

Answer 13

1) monthly
2) criteria
3) group

Question 14

(Nominations For Awards)

Any employee regardless of rank, classification, or position may nominate, for an applicable
award, any individual (employee or not) whom the employee believes has demonstrated _____. Employees shall refer to the pertinent sections of this General Order to determine the appropriate award or recognition category.

Answer 14

actions deserving recognition

Question 15

(Nominations For Awards)

Except as otherwise noted, Major Award nominations shall be submitted directly to ____ on the Houston Police Department Awards Recommendation form (available on the department’s Intranet Portal). Support documentation such as incident reports, medical reports, witness statements, and other pertinent information shall be attached to the form.

Answer 15

the awards coordinator

Question 16

(Nominations For Awards)

Except for the ____ Award, all nominations shall be forwarded to the awards coordinator within ____months after the significant occurrence. If an internal investigation is in progress and related to the nominee, the supporting documentation shall be submitted after the completion of the investigation.

Answer 16

1) Blue Heart

2) six

Question 17

(Nominations For Awards)

Division commanders shall review letters of commendation received from citizens and other
outside sources. If the division commander determines the commendation worthy of awards consideration, it shall ____ form and forwarded to the awards coordinator for consideration by the Awards Selection Committee.

Answer 17

immediately be converted to the Awards Recommendation

Question 18

(Awards or Commendations Involving Critical Incidents)

The Houston Police Department encourages its employees to recognize the outstanding work
done by the employees of the Houston Police Department every day. This is especially true
during critical incidents. However, when there are critical incidents, all administrative or criminal investigations of the subject officer shall…..

Answer 18

be completed before commendations or award nominations are submitted up the chain of command

Question 19

____shall be responsible for ensuring that all administrative and criminal investigations
for critical incidents are complete prior to submitting commendations or award nominations up
the chain of command for approval.

Answer 19

Commanders

Question 20

(Major Awards)

All Major Awards outlined in this section, with the exception of the ____, shall be conferred to each recipient in a presentation binder with a citation page and a certificate. Recipients will also receive the appropriate award ribbon or star device.

Only the ____ may be worn. Subsequent awards in the same category will be indicated by an authorized star device placed on the first award ribbon with up to four stars representing a total of five awards.
See Attachment D of this General Order.

Answer 20

1) Chief of Police Unit Citation

2) initial ribbon

Question 21

(Major Awards)

Awards shall be presented at an awards ceremony held as close as practical to the events for which the employees are being honored. Awards may be delayed until ____.

All Major Awards will be noted within the Police Personnel System on the employee’s departmental profile. Replacement ribbons may be obtained by submitting the ____ form, found on the department’s Intranet Portal, to Uniform Supply with verification by display of notation on the Departmental Resume.

Answer 21

1) all investigations related to the events are concluded

2) Service Ribbon Request

Question 22

(Written Commendations)

Any individual (employee or not) may submit a written commendation commending any employee of the City of Houston for outstanding performance or special assistance as follows:

a.
Any citizen who commends an employee by sending a written commendation directly to the Chief of Police shall receive ____ from the Chief. The citizen’s original correspondence shall be sent to the employee’s command.

When the commended employee and those in the employee’s chain of command have signed the citizen’s correspondence, the original commendation shall be forwarded to the ____ for placement in the employee’s personnel file. A copy shall be placed in the employee’s division personnel file.

Answer 22

1) correspondence

2) Employee Services Division (ESD)

Question 23

(Written Commendations)

Any individual (employee or not) may submit a written commendation commending any employee of the City of Houston for outstanding performance or special assistance as follows:

b.
Written commendations from citizens sent directly to a division or a command shall not be forwarded to the Chief of Police. The division or command shall send correspondence to the ____ acknowledging receipt of the commendation.

The employee and the employee’s chain of command shall sign the citizen’s original correspondence. The original commendation shall be sent to ____ for placement in the employee’s personnel file and a copy shall be placed in the employee’s division personnel file.

Answer 23

1) citizen

2) ESD Employee Services Division

Question 24

(Written Commendations)

Any individual (employee or not) may submit a written commendation commending any employee of the City of Houston for outstanding performance or special assistance as follows:

c.
Written commendations for employees originating in the department shall be on ____. The correspondence shall be addressed to the Chief of Police and shall
be routed through the appropriate chain of command.

After the Chief of Police signs the commendation, the original correspondence shall be forwarded to ESD for placement in the employee’s personnel file. ESD shall send a copy of the commendation to the employee’s division. The employee’s division shall provide a copy
to each ____ and place the ESD copy in the employee’s division personnel file.

Answer 24

1) yellow interoffice stationery

2) concerned employee

Question 25

(Written Commendations)

Any individual (employee or not) may submit a written commendation commending any employee of the City of Houston for outstanding performance or special assistance as follows:

d.
Correspondence commending an employee of another City of Houston department prepared
for the signature of the Chief of Police and addressed to the Mayor, a City Council member, or another department director (including acting directors), shall be on….

Answer 25

white interoffice bond stationery

Question 26

(Written Commendations)

Any individual (employee or not) may submit a written commendation commending any employee of the City of Houston for outstanding performance or special assistance as follows:

e.
Written commendations prepared for the signature of the Chief of Police and addressed to an employee of another City of Houston department (other than a department director), shall be on…

Answer 26

white interoffice plain stationery.

Question 27

(Written Commendations)

Any individual (employee or not) may submit a written commendation commending any employee of the City of Houston for outstanding performance or special assistance as follows:

f.
Written commendations from a department employee (not the Chief of Police) to an employee
of another City of Houston department shall be on ____.

This includes commendations sent to City Council members, department directors, and all other
City employees. A copy of the commendation shall be kept at the command or division level for future reference.

Answer 27

white interoffice plain stationery

Question 28

(Written Commendations)

Any individual (employee or not) may submit a written commendation commending any employee of the City of Houston for outstanding performance or special assistance as follows:

g.
Written commendations from an employee to an individual who is not a City of Houston employee shall be on ____ and prepared for the Chief of Police’s signature. A copy of the commendation shall be kept at the command or division level for future reference.

Answer 28

City letterhead white bond stationery

Question 29

(Written Commendations)

In addition, the Awards Selection Committee may designate an award nomination as a ____.

The awards coordinator shall provide the employee written notification of the commendation and send copies of the commendation to the _____ and to ESD for placement in the employee’s personnel file. The employee’s division shall provide a copy to the employee and place a copy in the employee’s division personnel file.

Answer 29

1) Letter of Commendation

2) employee’s division

Question 30

(Verbal Commendations from Citizens)

When receiving verbal commendations from citizens about employees (e.g., conversations on the telephone or at civic meetings), supervisors should document it. The following procedures shall be followed when documenting verbal commendations:

a.
A Houston Police Department Verbal Commendation From Citizen form (available on the department’s Intranet Portal) shall be used to document verbal commendations received by supervisors from a…

Answer 30

person not employed by the department

Question 31

(Verbal Commendations from Citizens)

When receiving verbal commendations from citizens about employees (e.g., conversations on the telephone or at civic meetings), supervisors should document it. The following procedures shall be followed when documenting verbal commendations:

b.
The supervisor taking the verbal commendation shall complete and sign the ____ form and forward it to the employee’s immediate supervisor.

Answer 31

Verbal Commendation From Citizen

Question 32

(Verbal Commendations from Citizens)

When receiving verbal commendations from citizens about employees (e.g., conversations on the telephone or at civic meetings), supervisors should document it. The following procedures shall be followed when documenting verbal commendations:

c.
The employee, the employee’s supervisor, and the ____ shall sign the form. The original form shall be sent to ESD for placement in the employee’s personnel file and a copy shall be placed in the employee’s division personnel file.

Answer 32

division commander

Question 33

(Field Commendations)

To commend an employee for outstanding performance or special assistance, first-line
supervisors have the option of writing a letter of commendation as outlined in section 10 or utilizing the Field Commendation form available on the department’s Intranet Portal. If a supervisor submits the Field Commendation form, that supervisor is required to…

Answer 33

have that form read at the next available roll call where the commended employee will be in attendance

Question 34

(Field Commendations)

The Field Commendation form shall be signed and dated by the ____and ____of the division where the employee is assigned. The original form shall then be forwarded to ____to be placed in the employee’s personnel file and a copy shall be placed in the employee’s division personnel file.

Answer 34

1) lieutenant and commander

2) ESD (Employee Services Division)

Question 35

(Certificates of Appreciation)

The Chief of Police may present a Certificate of Appreciation for any of the below events:

a.
The certificate, accompanied with a citation page, is designated by the Chief of Police for the purpose of showing appreciation to any individual (employee or not) who has ____. The certificate shall be placed in a presentation binder.

Answer 35

made a significant contribution of time or service to the department that benefits the department or the community

Question 36

(Certificates of Appreciation)

The Chief of Police may present a Certificate of Appreciation for any of the below events:

b.
The certificate may be presented to employees retiring from the department after at least
years of service. A citation page detailing the ____of the employee’s career shall accompany the certificate. If no retirement ceremony is planned, it shall be sent to the retiree via the U.S. Postal Service. Certificates shall be placed in a presentation binder.

Employees retiring after ____ years of service or more may be presented with a Mayor’s Proclamation in addition to the Certificate of Appreciation.

Answer 36

1) 20
2) highlights
3) 20

Question 37

(Certificates of Appreciation)

The Chief of Police may present a Certificate of Appreciation for any of the below events:

c.
The certificate only, accompanied by a letter from the Chief of Police, may be mailed to nondepartmental individuals to show acknowledgment and appreciation for assistancein a police situation that does not ____. This type of certificate shall not be placed in a presentation binder.

Answer 37

meet the Public Service Award criteria

Question 38

Any Major Awards that are lost or stolen may be replaced for the employee receiving the award
or a surviving spouse by…

Answer 38

contacting the department’s awards coordinator