Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe honored several law enforcement officials at a Medal of Valor ceremony in St. Louis Thursday.
In all, nearly 30 law enforcement officials were recognized — and some more than once — during the packed “Crusade Against Crime Ceremony” in South County. The officers were honored with Medal of Valor awards for “a conspicuous act of bravery exceeding the normal demands of police service.”
“How fortunate we are to have people like this serving us each day,” Kehoe, the keynote speaker, said.
Among those honored at the Thursday luncheon was Officer Michael Langsdorf of the North County Police Cooperative who was recognized posthumously. Langsdorf was fatally shot by a suspect in June.
His family accepted the award on his behalf. Kehoe noted he had attended Langdorf’s “incredibly moving” funeral.
Multiple officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department as well as others from the Bridgeton Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland Heights Police Department, and St. Louis County Police Department were also honored.
Thursday marked the 50th anniversary of the Medal of Honor award, which has been given to more than 400 officers and citizens. The award “expresses the community’s gratitude for the sound judgment demonstrated by the officer in the performance of his or her duty, often without regard for personal safety, yet with full awareness of the reasonable attainment of his or her objective.”
During his speech, Kehoe, whose father was an officer in St. Louis, noted Gov. Mike Parson also “has a strong affinity to law enforcement.”
Honored to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Crusade Against Crime Ceremony & the St. Louis Area Police Chiefs Association’s Medal of Valor Awards. Congratulations to the 31 recipients! We proudly pay tribute to all of the brave men & women of law enforcement. #MissouriProud pic.twitter.com/ldWRcx0A2U
— Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe (@LtGovMikeKehoe) November 21, 2019
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
