Obama, Joe Biden Honor Nation's Top Police Officers At White House Ceremony

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama honored the nation's top police officers on Saturday, paying tribute to their sacrifices and "quiet courage" in the line of duty.

Obama, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, praised the winners of a national police association award at a White House ceremony that honored 34 officers who showed valor in an assortment of tense standoffs, shootings and rescues.

"They are representative of the sacrifices and that quiet courage that exists among law enforcement officers all across the country and their families," Obama said in a Rose Garden ceremony.

Recipients included 15 members of the Detroit Police Department who confronted a gunman who opened fire in a local precinct station; five Las Vegas officers who stopped an assailant who shot an officer at a Wal-Mart; and five New York City police detectives who rescued two cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who had become disoriented while rock climbing.

Other award winners hailed from Los Angeles; Miami; Chicago; Woburn, Mass.; Paramus, N.J.; Copley, Ohio; and Chattanooga, Tenn.

It was Obama's first joint appearance with Biden since the vice president, according to aides, apologized to the president for pushing gay marriage to the forefront of the presidential campaign and inadvertently pressuring Obama to declare his support for same-sex unions.

Obama and Biden were all smiles as they walked to the sun-splashed ceremony together. Introducing Obama, Biden credited the president's commitment to law enforcement and the two quickly embraced before Obama spoke.

The president lauded Biden as "somebody who has been fighting on behalf of law enforcement all his life." Biden, the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was a leading advocate of a community policing program when he served in the Senate.

Obama and Biden later played golf together at Andrews Air Force Base, accompanied by Biden's son, Hunter, and White House aide Marvin Nicholson.

The officers were invited to the White House as part of the National Association of Police Organizations' annual TOP COPS awards.

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Comments

[rich3324]

07:38 PM on 05/15/2012

The rightwing chickenhawk trolls have landed. Guess that Walker Texas Ranger marathon is over.

[l78lancer]

03:54 AM on 05/15/2012

I hope they enjoyed their day at the White House. The rightwingers will be trying to cut their jobs when the get back home.

[QueenLibby]

11:21 PM on 05/14/2012

Didn't see Sherriff Joe at the event, guess 0 is a racist bigot after all.

[Theb5mcnab]

06:51 PM on 05/14/2012

All my family still lives in Detroit and I remember seeing the shooting video on the news when it happened - the footage is unreal...

here is a link, it's certainly worth a watch.

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/detroit/precinct-shooting-video-to-be-released-at-4%3A00-p.m.-friday

[treadway123]

10:46 PM on 05/13/2012

All those God fearing people in Omaha Nebr. who can except Romeny Granddad have 5 wifes an he don't even own up to it-----Keep chanting marriage is 1 man/1woman is hyprocrite.

[jhuffington]

09:06 PM on 05/13/2012

It amazes me that the President does something good by honoring heros and conservatives can't take it. What that says to me is you have a weak candidate.

[SteveSFM]

08:36 PM on 05/13/2012

Apparently, right wingers hate the police.

[Watching rock grow]

05:48 PM on 05/13/2012

Okay, HP where are the pictures of those Top Cops looking bored, gloomy and unhappy with the President; you know like those pictures of the honored listeners of Mitty? (winking at you HP)

[smp276dp]

11:48 AM on 05/13/2012

There's a party over here, there's a party over there.

[c0astalgreens]

11:31 AM on 05/13/2012

The "god loving silent majority" who have continued to fix the world mess that godless people always left behind, deserve also the awards but are too humble and holy not to demand any.

Love of GOD and love of all HIS children do not require rewards because the joy of sharing love is more than enough.

[Watching rock grow]

05:49 PM on 05/13/2012

Oh phewy- their reward is in heaven where it is safe.

[c0astalgreens]

11:44 AM on 05/15/2012

Heaven is not a reward. God does not punish nor reward HIS split or any freesoul. Our fate relies on our freewill to believe, not God's, I believe.

Heaven was our original HOME before we ended in HELL- a cold dark empty space- a state of nothingness, and now many of lost souls are on earth for a chance to believe in a loving GOD to return to our HOME. If we blow our chance now or if you choose to live a life without a loving GOD, your lost soul will return to HELL when your physical body dies and rots.

[nautilus55]

10:54 AM on 05/13/2012

He's making a list and checking it twice. -Women ,Hispanics, gays, Blacks, union workers,welfare recipients. students. Let me pander to as many people as possible (including a few rich whites like george Clooney and barbra Streisand) $$$$$$$$$$

[DeeFromTheD]

10:59 AM on 05/13/2012

You're twisted. This awards ceromony has been done every year since his Presidency.

[nautilus55]

01:32 PM on 05/13/2012

Who cares he will be gone in November- this country wont make the same mistake twice. He actually has a record that he will get hammered on

[kalemakapii]

06:08 PM on 05/13/2012

Oh I see... now its pandering because a Democrat is in the White House. Guess it ain't pandering when Bush was doing it.

[nautilus55]

07:19 PM on 05/13/2012

Bush did not pit American against American the way Obama has. As a country that is NOT what we are about. Luckily only a few more months and Obama will be back in Chicago where he belongs- along withe the other same style politicians

[nautilus55]

12:48 AM on 05/16/2012

Obama has that pandering down to an art form.

[nautilus55]

10:48 AM on 05/13/2012

He "honors" law enforcement while Eric Holder condems tactics of NYPD trying to protect its citizens. What a joke. Just like everything else Obama says one thing and does another. Luckily we only have a few more months of this to go through until he is sent back to chicago
to get out of the way and let our country move back to prosperity

[montgomeryjhn]

11:03 AM on 05/13/2012

He won't go back to a military base. He screww that up

[tjconkster]

10:45 AM on 05/13/2012

I find it amazing that the Tro!!s are posting against thses fine officers. The right bills itself as the Law & Order Party.. I think we can see them for the Posers they are by what they are posting here today....The right is a party filled with self centered juveniles who refuse to grow or learn anything new....My friends we must feel sorry for their lack interest in the world around them...it must be a sad existence to be so boxed ni by your fears that you feel compelled to lash out at anything that doesn't fit your world view....too bad for them...they are missing out on life and that life has to offer...

[tjconkster]

11:20 AM on 05/13/2012

You folks sure have some weird fixations....

[DeeFromTheD]

11:20 AM on 05/13/2012

You republicans love him, that's all you talk about.

[Lovin Colorado]

06:46 PM on 05/13/2012

"Republicans approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help them go broke. They stand for labor-but they stronger for restricting labor's rights. They favor minimum wage - the smaller the minimum wage the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all - but they won't spend money for teachers or for schools. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine - for people who can afford them. They consider electrical power a great blessing - but only when the private power companies get their rake-off. They think American standard of living is a fine thing - so long as it doesn't spread to all people. And they admire the Government of the United States so much they would like to buy it.
- Harry S. Truman

[tjconkster]

06:54 PM on 05/13/2012

Nice...Thanks for posting this!

F&F

[laffFUwant]

09:07 PM on 05/13/2012

....and they are NOT a party of bigots!

[dan101t]

10:24 AM on 05/13/2012

His own Department of Justice files lawsuits against states for trying to enforce illegal immigration.
That is a slap in the face against all the police officers in that state, because it implies that they profile and target people of a certain skin color.

I wonder if Sheriff Joe was invited?

[DeeFromTheD]

11:02 AM on 05/13/2012

Where was all this bellyaching when Bush was in office over immigration? When in fact The Obama Administration has dealt with illegal immigration far more than Bush.

Arpaio and the rest of the republicans is just using this as a "crutch" to cover their racism.

[dan101t]

02:13 PM on 05/13/2012

The obama administration deported more, but we are talking about enforcement, not deportation.

And how can it be racist when Mexicans are descendents of white Europeans from places like Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

[montgomeryjhn]

11:06 AM on 05/13/2012

How many awards has he received from the same department that is going after him?

[moccasinmike]

10:22 AM on 05/13/2012

he honors the BLA,and ayers,dorn,hmmmm

[totalliberal]

10:47 AM on 05/13/2012

GOP babbling again.