Definitions as codified in the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge
of Bravery Act of 2008:
The head of any executive, legislative, or judicial branch entity that employs federal law enforcement officers.
The head of any executive, legislative, or judicial branch entity of a state or local government that employs state or local law enforcement officers.
A federal employee—
who has statutory authority to make arrests or apprehensions;
who is authorized by the agency of the employee to carry firearms; and
whose duties are primarily—
engagement in or supervision of the prevention,
detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration
of any person for, any violation of law; or
the protection of federal, state, local,
or foreign government officials against threats to personal safety.
The
term "federal law enforcement officer" includes a law enforcement
officer employed by the Amtrak Police Department or Federal Reserve
System.
An employee of a state or local government—
who has statutory authority to make arrests or apprehensions;
who is authorized by the agency of the employee to carry firearms; and
whose duties are primarily—
engagement in or supervision of the prevention,
detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration
of any person for, any violation of law; or
the protection of federal, state, local,
or foreign government officials against threats to personal safety.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery (CBOB):
The act of bravery must have occurred during the calendar year immediately preceding the submission deadline for that year's CBOB nominations. For example, for the submission deadline of February 15, 2019, the eligibly acts of bravery must have taken place between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018.
Each CBOB nomination submission period is tied to a specific calendar year. The opening date for nominations is on or around December 15 of each year. When December 15 occurs on a weekend, the opening date for nominations may occur one or two days earlier.
All nominations must be received no later than February 15 at 11:59 pm (EST) of the calendar year following the date on which the nominee performed the act of bravery.
No. Nominations cannot be submitted once that year’s nomination submission period has closed. In addition, incidents that occurred prior to the establishment of the CBOB program are not eligible for consideration.
All CBOB nominations must be submitted by, or at the direction or approval of, the head of the law enforcement agency employing the nominee(s). The agency head should also be listed under the Nominator Information Section.
Yes, but a separate online nomination must be completed for each officer. In the case of groups of officers who are to be nominated for the same incident, the narrative summaries for each nomination should identify each officer within the group by name and agency, and reflect the individual and collective actions of each nominee.
The law enforcement agency head for each nominated officer must approve the submission of the nomination(s). The narrative summaries should identify each officer in the group by name and agency. In addition, each nomination should indicate "Yes" under the group nomination block.
Regardless of service on a taskforce, the responsibility for approving and submitting nominations remains with the law enforcement agency that permanently employs the officer. The agency heading up the taskforce may choose to provide the nominating agency with a letter of support and/or other appropriate documents to be included with the nomination(s).
The incident summary should at a minimum identify each nominated officer by name, and should clearly reflect the individual and collective actions of the officer(s) being considered for this award. The incident summary can contain up to 7500 characters, and additional supporting material may be included with each nomination.
Yes, but a separate nomination must be submitted for each incident.
The online nomination indicates what information is required.
This section should include information on the head of the law enforcement agency that employs the nominee(s). If the nomination information reflects an agency official other than the agency head, documentation must be provided to confirm that the agency head approves each officer's nomination.
Yes, the Boards will accept posthumous nominations and may award a badge posthumously. Recommending officials should make clear that the nomination is for a posthumous award and indicate within the narrative summary whether the officer's death occurred in connection with his or her act of bravery.
All non-federal law enforcement agencies, including county, city, municipal, or tribal law enforcement agencies, must apply under the State and Local category for the Congressional Badge of Bravery.
Questions concerning the nomination process should be directed to the Congressional Badge of Bravery Office at AskCBOB@usdoj.gov. Once a final decision is made, the Congressional members and agency heads for the recipient officers will be notified. Follow-up contact may be initiated by the relevant Congressional office or the Congressional Badge of Bravery Office.
