Columbia Police Department Chief Skip Holbrook announces that Deputy Chief Melron Kelly has been appointed to the prestigious 2018 Congressional Badge of Bravery Review Board (CBOB), a selection process that includes federal and state representatives.
Kelly was chosen among his peers for the State and Local Board by Vera Bumpers who is also the Police Chief of the Houston Metro Police Department and the President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) of which Deputy Chief is a member.
Deputy Chief Kelly will be responsible for recognizing the country’s most distinguished police officers from across the country for the Congressional Badge of Bravery.
Chief Holbrook says, “Every day police officers commit acts of heroism and bravery in service to our citizens, I am both proud and encouraged by Deputy Chief Kelly’s appointment to the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Board. He will bring a strong voice to this important board as they review and select officers worthy of this prestigious Badge of Bravery Award.”
Law enforcement officers from their respective agencies will be nominated for their various acts of bravery. According to the United States Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), ten years ago, Congress passed Public Law 110-298, which established the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008 to honor the noble achievements of federal, state and local police officers in the line of duty.
The medals are awarded annually by the U.S. Attorney General and are presented by the recipients’ Congressional representatives.
Deputy Chief Kelly says, “I am thrilled to be the newest member of the Review Board whose sole responsibility will be to salute fellow law enforcement officers who went above and beyond the call of duty. We see these acts on a daily basis in the City of Columbia and elsewhere, but now the nation will appreciate those acts as well.”
According to the BAJ, award recipients must have either:
- Sustained a physical injury while:
- Engaged in the lawful duties of the individual, and
- Performing an act characterized as bravery by the agency head who makes the nomination, and
- Being at personal risk; or
- Although not injured, performed an act characterized as bravery by the agency head who makes the nomination that placed the individual at risk of serious physical injury or death.
Nominations are due by 11:59 PM EST on February 15, 2019.
For more information visit: https://badgeofbravery.ncjrs.gov/
Deputy Chief Kelly joins Bedford Virginia Sheriff Michael J. Brown, Bill Johnson Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations, Inc. and Retired New York Police Department’s Transit Chief Joseph Fox as board members.
About Deputy Chief Kelly
Deputy Chief Kelly is a Columbia native who joined CPD in 1999 after being a police cadet and graduating from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. His first assignment was serving as the residential officer in the Waverly community.
Last year, Deputy Chief Kelly was selected as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) ‘40 under 40’ award winner, and was most recently inducted into the Columbia Housing Authority’s Wall of Fame. Chief Kelly was also part of the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Class of South Carolina Black Pages, 20 Under 40 Awards in 2015.
Kelly received a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from South Carolina State University and is a member of various community and social organizations, including NAACP, NOBLE and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.