LAPD’s Annual Above and Beyond Event Honors Officer Heroism Gala Bestows Medal of Valor and Purple Heart Awards to 42 Recipients NR13420rf

Los Angeles: Today, the Los Angeles Police Foundation hosted the annual Above & Beyond Ceremony to honor and celebrate Los Angeles Police Department officers who have demonstrated exceptional bravery and heroism in the line of duty.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, city officials and others were joined by KTLA news anchor Chris Schauble who acted as master of ceremonies and narrator for the program’s many inspiring, crime-fighting scenarios of exceptional bravery and heroism.  This year, 42 officers were selected to receive a Medal of Valor or Purple Heart award in connection with incidents going all the way back to 1946.  Two officers received the Medal of Valor, while 40 received the Purple Heart Award recipients were as follows:

2013 Medal of Valor Recipients:

Sergeant Michael Flanagan
Officer Nuria Vanegas

2013 Purple Heart Recipients:

Captain Thomas McMullen

Lieutenant Darnell Davenport

Sergeant Eric L. Birkeland (retired)
Sergeant Robert Hamilton (retired)
Sergeant Dean Haynes (retired)
Sergeant Tedford E. Severns (retired)

Detective John Krulac (retired)
Detective Michael D. Lewin (retired)
Detective Brian Mathews (retired)
Detective Steven Nielsen (retired)
Detective Gabriel Rivas
Detective Norman Roberge (retired)

Officer Michael Chapman
Officer Guillermo De La Riva
Officer Carrol Faulkner (retired)
Officer Eugene P. Fogarty (awarded posthumously)
Officer Robert Gollhofer (retired)
Officer Elizabeth Green (retired)
Officer Stuart Guy (retired)
Officer John D. Hall (retired)
Officer Steve Jenkins
Officer Daniel Johnson (retired)
Officer Rudy Limas (retired)
Officer Jan Mc Gaff (retired)
Officer Ronald G. Mueller (retired)
Officer Arthur Nevarez (retired)
Officer Sal Obaidee
Officer Robert Parker (retired)
Officer Dalton Postma (retired)
Officer Sidney Riegel (awarded posthumously)
Officer Timothy Russell (retired)
Officer Antonio Salazar
Officer Robert Schneider (retired)
Officer Ken Shipp (awarded posthumously)
Officer Michael G. Sullivan (retired)
Officer Ron Traurig (retired)
Officer Wayne Valdez (retired)
Officer James C. Van Pelt Jr. (retired)
Officer Martin Whitfield (retired)

Reserve Officer George Booker Mogle (awarded posthumously)

Events inspiring the awards include the 1965 “Surry Street Shootout” in Hollywood, during which a man causing a disturbance and armed with a shotgun, rifle and revolver took an officer hostage and barricaded himself inside a house.  For 90 minutes, 50 officers battled with the suspect until teargas finally enabled them to take him into custody. Three of today’s honorees are veterans of the historic shootout, which led Daryl F. Gates changing police tactics for handling snipers and barricaded criminals. Thus was born the elite, well-known Special Weapons and Tactics Unit, commonly known as the SWAT Team.

The Los Angeles Police Foundation (LAPF) engages prominent community leaders to help fund LAPD youth programs, training, community outreach, equipment and technology not provided in the city budget. Support from event sponsors enables the LAPF to fulfill its mission of creating partnerships that provide resources and programs enabling  the police to serve at their highest level and to enhance LAPD community relations.  Since its founding in 1998, the LAPF has awarded more than $18 million in grants to the LAPD.

More information about the LAPF is available by visiting www.lapolicefoundation.org or by calling  (213) 489-4636.