herty saw a movement behind a tree and called for the suspects to come out with his hands up. he was taken into custody with the murder victims property and a large amount of money. the officers should always be quick without hesitation and appropriate. during an officer's career, there are times when they will be placed in a position where they have to decide whether to put their safety or the safety of others before their own. there are times when they're called upon to deal with a situation where there is a great likelihood an officer could be seriously injured or killed when no one would blame them for waiting. this was such a moment for the officers involved. in this instance, the efforts of all the officers involved showed great courage, a great decision making, and dedication be on the call of duty. the officers constantly respond to calls for shootings and know the potential risk they may encounter every time. these officers knew immediate

action was required to save lives. they did not hesitate in putting themselves in harm's way to save lives, to render aid, and take suspects into custody. for this, they are being honored with the bronze medal of valor. [applause]

>> the next medal of valor will be presented by deputy chief kevin cashman. >> good evening. on september 26, 2010, dispatch received the complaint of a male blasting music at 1000 sutter st.. the residential hotel with narrow hallways and then walls is well known to officers as they respond there almost daily. this busy sunday morning stretched staffing to its limits.

officers were sent to the fair and a critical incident in the northern district. the officer responded to a call at 11:17 a.m. and climbed seven flights of stairs to room 708. she approached the room with the manager who unlocked the door after numerous attempts to get the occupant to do so. she entered the studio apartment and saw the suspect line on the bed to the left of the door. his arms were behind his head. she saw the wooden handle of a gun on the floor was littered with clothing and garbage. she approached the bed with her gun drawn. she picked up his weapon and back away from the suspect. she backed approximately 10 feet while never taking her eyes off of the suspect. fearing a physical confrontation, she placed the unloaded large caliber revolvers with a 9 inch barrel on a chair behind her while keeping her eyes on the suspect. the suspect jumped up from the

bed and screamed that he was part of the secret service, part of the cia. he repeatedly stated that she was going to shoot her -- him today. he ignored her verbal commands to get down on the floor. the officer called for a code three backup unit and attempted to calm the suspect. she instructed the manager outside the apartment door to go to the stairs and direct the arriving officers to her location. she continued to give the suspects verbal commands and assurances while keeping her body between him and the gun on a chair behind her. he then complied with her command to get on the floor by kneeling but he instantly leaped up and approached hurt by a few more feet. he was then adjacent to the door. looking straight into her eyes, he reached over and slammed the apartment door. he turned a double. he said, now is just you and me. knowing her life depended on

getting the door open, she reacted by stepping to left and began unlocking the door. as she stepped left, the suspect maneuver around the right side of the officer and got his gun off of the chair. she turned and faced the suspect with the gun drawn. she was only a few feet away facing him with his gun pointed slightly up in the air. she ordered him to put the gun down. holding a steady with both hands, he pointed the gun directly at her. faced with no other alternative but to use deadly force, the officer began firing her department-issued fire arm. she continued to fire but he did not drop the gun. the suspect spun around as he fell and landed on his back. his head was towards her feet with the gun still in his hands. he brought his arms over his head so begun would be pointed at her again. she prepared to shoot him again when the backup officer into the room.

that officer saw the injured suspect on the floor with the weapons still in his hands and his bigger still on the trigger, still posing a threat. at officer pointed his department rifle at the suspect and told him to let go of the weapon. at this time, sergeant hernandez entered the room and observe the suspect lower the weapon to his waist, raise his arm back up to the weapon. the officer provided cover while sgt hernandez retreat -- retrieved the weapon. with the assistance of officers, performed cpr until the fire department arrived. despite efforts to save the suspect's life, the suspect succumbed to his wounds and died at the scene. in conclusion, the officer exhibited outstanding bravery above and beyond that expected in the line of duty. for her heroic actions on the morning of september 26, the officer is awarded the silver

medal of valor. [applause]

>> since we have the award screening committee in august, we have already received nine more nomination for metals of dollars for members of the department. we will have another one of these ceremonies in the spring to be honoring those folks, too, hopefully. the police department would also like to thank the university of san francisco and their support for cosponsoring this. we want to thank everyone who helped to put this event together this evening. we also wanted a woman putting the awards forward.

she coordinated the event. we want to thank her for her work on this. this concludes our ceremony this evening. the photographer has asked if the medal recipient would come back for one more photograph with the chief. then we will release you to your families who are anxious to congratulate you. thank you very much. [applause] >> if any members of the families or commanding officers want to come up, you are welcome. please. it is important.

>> we're going to get started before everybody freezes. we want to welcome everybody to the groundbreaking of cayuga playground. is an important milestone for us.

it was built in the 1950's and renovated almost 30 years ago. we are long overdue for the next renovation of this park. this particular neighborhood has become a family neighborhood. it is so important that we keep our playgrounds clean, safe, and fun. we're so grateful to the voters for supporting the 2008 neighborhoods park fund. the project is a $9.3 million project. about $8 million is from the bond. we're thrilled we received an $800,000 grant from the state to cultivate the open space. it has been a team effort. i want to acknowledge some folks who are here. this is in no particular order.

i really want to thank barbara, josie, and all the folks from the cayuga improvement group. mohammed will speak and make some introductions. i want to thank lizzie hirsch, richard yee, marvin yee, our capital planning director. i want to thank courtney representing the parks alliance. steve courier is here. thank you for being here. i want to thank the rec and park staff, bill o'brien, our new gardner. perhaps the biggest thank you and acknowledgment is to our beloved retired gardener at the

cayuga playground, demnny. he immigrated to the country in 1973. he worked in the law firm became a gardener and singlehandedly took over the park. you can see some of his work scattered throughout the trails and beautiful urban landscape. he crafted about 350 beautiful sculptures and characters. some of them have been safely tucked away for the renovation project. he will still see about 100. -- you will still see about 100 of them out here. you are a demigod to this park. thank you for being here. when the project is done, you will see a beautiful new clubhouse with a living roof.

there will be landscape improvements. the street behind you will be part of the park. pavement to park. i want to introduce the park champion in chief who will say a few words, mayor ed lee. >> phil has gone through virtually all of the details that need to be mentioned. i feel safer being here with the cia. [laughter] i know the cayuga improvement association was born back in the 1930's, 1937. it has been a stalwart group of volunteers in the community. i do not live far away. 10 years ago, i met demi. we did some cleanups here with

you. i recall all the wonderful sculptures. i have snuck in here with my kids and visitors to show them how great it is to have these parks with people volunteering to do special things. i want to thank you for your leadership and sacrifices, all of your wonderful years of work. the park's alliance for your wonderful relationship and support, and our arts commission. they will be commencing another great piece of our work here. it just goes to show all the city agencies working together and that we honor our parks in this city. this is a wonderful commitment. we are not leaving this district alone. you know that. we're coming out your for a great purpose. we want to show and demonstrate

that every part of the city is worth every investment that we do, a special building strong neighborhoods. we have done that correctly here. this is well worth $9.3 million. it is a good investment. we will do more. phil will make sure that the commitment carries on. we do that by finishing the things we have committed to in the future. i know the staff is excited to be out here making commitments. we are shovel ready with jobs. i want to thank mohammad for making sure that they work closely with the parks and a neighborhood association to do this. i am here to announce this but also to make sure that this is part of the long term commitment to every neighborhood in the city. we will continue this -- doing

this and doing it well. >> you talked about the importance of jobs. there will be about 50 local jobs as a result of this construction project. you also talked about the importance of art in the parks. i want to recognize the president of the arts commission. there is a profoundly between art and our parks. that is probably no better exhibited than in this park thanks to demi's great work. i want to call up susan to talk about that. >> this is a very unique opportunity for us here at cayuga park. we were called in to help preserve the unique sculptures. my colleague came out and catalog, photographed and catalog all 375 sculptures.

within selected 130 to be taken and stored -- we then selected 130 to be taken and stored and stabilize to be reinstalled on the park is reopened. it is no small feat to stabilize wooden structures in a damp park. they have to be cleaned out, debugged, and then a protective coat is put on them so they will be able to be in the park for years to come. it will continue the landmark status of this park. in addition to the conservation work, there is the new public art commission.

eric was inspired by demi's work and has created these gateways sculptures that feature vignettes drawn from these works. the design echoes of how the plant life enhances the sculptures overtime. crowning the opening day, it will have the name of cayuga on it. it will announce the injury to the park. it will be adorned with birds and wings. we're pleased to be part of a new park, new public commission, and preserving the work that came before us. thank you. >> thank you, susan. projects like this are all about

partnership. i want to call up the director of public works. we work closely with them. we are incredibly grateful to you and your staff for all of your support, the engineering work, and your assistance with the construction management of the project. thank you. >> it is always a pleasure to join the parks department, arts commission, cayuga improvement association, and community to celebrate this ground-breaking. we did relocate the street that leads into the park. as part of the design, there are a number of unique features. the first one is the living rooftop garden similar to ortega. dole be adding more green space

and areas for butterflies and other creatures to enjoy. when i was raising my children, i came to the spark -- this part many time with the kids. we watched demi carve many of the sculptures. there are many hidden trails along the hillside and all- around. those will continue. tdx will be the builder. it is a contractor we have worked together on a number of projects. they just finished the library at bernal and another library. they are a very good contractor. they work very well with the community. we have our team of architects, landscape architects, and the

whole team along with our construction management team they will all make sure the project is finished on time and on budget. thank you for being here today. i am looking forward to the construction to start. >> last but certainly not least, i want to bring up chris dillon , the president of the cayuga improvement association. they have been involved in the design and planning process from the outset. this is a neighborhood park. we will engage in our best efforts to make it what you want it to be. >> i wish i had the mayor's ability to speak so beautifully. i am going to lead. my comments are getting in thankfulness. this is testimony to the fact that collaboration among all stakeholders is possible and of the greatest value to the community. i am thankful that demi share

his philosophy of life with the community. he transformed our failing part into a beautiful sanctuary full of amazing art. he has renewed our committee and created a beautiful community in our park is treasured by the residents of the neighborhood. it is recognized throughout the world as a uniquely sacred site. his powerful design and philosophy are validated by the fact that there are many stakeholders that come to the park seeking peace, renewal, fun, exercise. it cannot be categorized. as a volunteer, i have witnessed the community to flourish. i am thankful for marvin yee's leadership. he embodies the best qualities of a civil servant. he has put together an expert team to focus on our shared vision. as a former leader, i know it is an almost impossible task.

he has done it successfully. he has made this work appear easy. he is not only a consummate professional, he is a friend in our community. because of his leadership, every aspect of the project has been blessed by a spurt of respectful collaboration. he has never wavered from the mission of enhancing our sanctuary well-respected and protecting demi's vision. i also want to acknowledge others for their many years of advocacy on the behalf of the park and playground. i am profoundly thankful to barbara and jesse -- josie the hours of hard work on this project. they have listened to committee members, they have mastered and grasp technical material. they've gone to meetings and hearings. they have made reports for our members and the committee.

they've stretched far outside their comfort zone at times. as demi's chose an apprentice, josie has provided a vision for our team to work with. barb's communication has been indispensable to the project. if they had not volunteered for the project, it would have been diminished. our community is a special part of the city. words cannot capture the magic of our part. it is a park in unique sanctuary. our community has been blessed by demi's vision, spirit, and artwork. we're blessed by community volunteers and residents. we're blessed to be served by our great city prepare to the park is at the heart of our

city. -- request to be served by our great city. cayuga cairo the park is at the heart of our city. >> let's break some ground and cut the ribbon. marvin? [unintelligible] the shovel. [laughter] are we ready? all right. [applause] >> so exciting. [applause] [laughter] >> where do you