8 Mo. law officers awarded Medal of Valor

Eight law enforcement officers have received Medal of Valor awards from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon for acts of heroism - among them are officers from the St. Louis region.

Nixon presented the medals Wednesday during a ceremony at the state Capitol. The annual awards are based on the recommendation of a special review board.

The medal recipients for actions that occurred in 2010 are:

• Mathew Crosby and Jorden Lewis of the Rock Hill Police Department;
• Donald Doza of the Missouri State Highway Patrol;
• Joseph Haman of the St. Louis Police Department;
• Steven Landsness of the O'Fallon Police Department;
• Darren Rodgers of the Arnold Police Department;
• Gerald Williams of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office; and
• Kenneth Smith Jr. of the St. Joseph Police Department.

For more photos of today's ceremony, here's a Flickr album put together by the Mo. Dept. of Public Safety: