ST. LOUIS – On Wednesday, business owners honored the hard work and dedication of police officers in St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District. The officers were recognized with awards for the 30th year of the event.
This year’s event didn’t start with a celebration but rather a sobering moment.
“Please join me in a moment of silence as we continue to pray for our injured officer and his family as he and embark on a long road to recovery,” St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said.
Chief Tracy said hearts are heavy within the police department after the officer was struck by a car Monday. Police identified the injured officer as 31-year-old Nathan Spiess.
The chief said Spiess is known for his bravery and dedication.
“I had the opportunity to speak with the officer on several occasions. Let me say, his resilience for the job should humble us all. His commitment makes me honored to wear this badge,” Tracy said.
Honor was the theme of the event as officers were recognized for their bravery and commitment to serve.
“It is sometimes a difficult decision regarding who was most deserving,” Captain Tom Zipf Jr. said. “In addition to the officers and detectives we’re honoring today we had officers who received departmental awards such as awards of excellence, chief’s letters, distinguished service citations, and we also had five of our officers in 2024 receive the Medal of Valor.”