On September 10, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger presented six California officers with the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor—the highest public safety award in California.    

    This honor is given to public safety officers who demonstrate bravery beyond expectation. The honorees were Lieutenant Raymond Garcia and Officer Scott O’Conner of the El Segundo Police Department, Officers Brian Paul and Joe Romeo of the Los Gatos/ Monte Sereno Police Department, Sergeant Dave Peruzzaro of the San Mateo Police Department, and Officer Roger Smith of the California Highway Patrol.

   Garcia and O’Conner were awarded for their conduct when apprehending a man who shot and injured both outside a theatre.  Paul and Romeo saved an elderly couple and their driver from a car sliding down a hillside at their own peril. Peruzzaro rescued two children from an armed robber, and Smith saved an injured officer while under fire, and took him to nearby medical care.    

   These six officers were unanimously selected for the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor by the Medal of Valor Review Board.