CPMF honors police injured on duty at Valor Awards

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation honored police officers who were injured in the line of duty Wednesday evening at the annual Valor Awards dinner.

“I loved the job before I got hurt, I still love the job, call me crazy, but it’s the brothers and sisters and what places like this do for us,” said officer Julius Givens. “I’m so proud to be a police officer.”

Givens was shot in the leg on Dec. 21, 2021, after a traffic stop turned into an exchange of gunfire. Wednesday he was one of several recipients of the Officer Valor Award.

“100% of the time, my partner and I would do everything over [the same], given that I got shot,” Givens said. “The city of Chicago is a safer, more vibrant city because those guys are no longer on the street.”

Outside of the awards banquet, CPMF provides support and assistance to families of Chicago police officers who died or seriously injured in the line of duty. To this date, CPMF has helped raise more than $16 million.