There are 13 officers being awarded the Medal of Valor this year. Their citations are listed below.
Recipients:
Officer Ralph Camarillo, Rampart Division
Officer Mario Cardona, 77th Street Division
Officer Matthew Cundiff, 77th Street Division
Officer Osvaldo Delgadillo, Rampart Division
Sergeant Hector Feliciano, Office of Operations
Officer Carlos Figueroa, Northeast Division
Officer Laurissa Hulsebus, Rampart Division
Officer Edwin Marron, West Valley Division
Officer Mark Mireles, West Valley Division
Officer Abel Munoz, Rampart Division
Officer Carlos Ocegueda, Rampart Division
Detective Richard Record, Southwest Division
Officer Christopher Vasquez, Northeast Division
West Valley Area Officers Edwin Marron and Mark Mireles who in January 2006 rescued a suicidal woman suspended from a sixth-floor balcony. The 200-pound woman, a psychiatric patient, struggled violently as the two officers labored furiously to keep her from making the fatal plunge.
Rampart Area Officers Ralph Camarillo, Osvaldo Delgadillo, Laurissa Hulsebus, Abel Muñoz, and Carlos Ocegueda who responded to a pre-dawn fire of a 60-unit building in December 2005. Fighting heavy smoke, the officers saved the lives of two wheelchair-bound tenants and ensured the safety of many other frightened residents. The five officers persisted with their rescue efforts until the fire department arrived.
Northeast Area Officers Christopher Vasquez and Carlos Figueroa who on an evening in May 2005 arrived at the scene of a house fire to find smoke funneling through open windows and a 92-year-old woman screaming for help. Despite imminent danger, the two officers proceeded with the rescue, saving the woman.
77th Street Area Officers Mario Cardona and Matthew Cundiff who in November 2004 responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call only to be confronted by hysterical partygoers fleeing a homicidal assailant. After fatally shooting two partygoers, the assailant proceeded to shoot and wound Officer Cardona. The officer returned fire, killing the assailant and ending the shooting spree. Officer Cundiff, a trained Emergency Medical Technician, tended to the wounded officer, relocating him to safety and administering first aid.
Rampart Area Sergeant Hector Feliciano who in November 2004 ended a hostage standoff instigated by a 19-year-old man. Wielding what looked like a semi-automatic pistol, the man grabbed a female employee at the Mexican Consulate, placing the gun against the back of her head. Fearful that the man would kill the woman or take additional hostages, Sergeant Feliciano-positioned 15 feet from the suspect-aimed and fired one .45 caliber round, striking the man in the head.
Southwest Area Detective Richard Record who in February 2004 was the first to respond when Newton Area Officer Ricardo Lizarraga was shot twice by a gang member. Though the shooter's whereabouts remained unclear following the incident, Detective Record rushed in to move Officer Lizarraga to safety. Despite Detective Record's valiant efforts, Officer Lizarraga died from his injuries.
