Chicago police officers honored for exceptional performance by CPD, fallen officers get top honor

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Wednesday the Chicago Police Department honored officers for exceptional performance at the 63rd annual Chicago Police Recognition Ceremony.

"I know most of these awardees, if not all, will be the first to tell you they were just doing their jobs. They didn't do this for the recognition," said CPD Supt. Larry Snelling.

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Officer Andre Balseca and his partners earned the superintendent's award for tactical excellence for an incident in July 2023 in which they stopped a gang shooting in a West Side neighborhood, taking fire themselves, and confiscated several weapons.

"I would say it's nice to be recognized but we don't do it for this. You do it for your brothers and sisters," Balesca said.

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The memory of fallen public servants was front and center. There were tributes to Officers Andres Vasquez-Lasso and Areanah Preston, who both lost their lives last year.

"Each of these officers were driven to the profession out of a deep love for the city and the communities that raised them. They wanted to be the change that they wished they could see in the world," said Mayor Brandon Johnson.

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Each officer received the Award of Valor and the Blue Shield Award. Preston's mother, Dionne Mhoon, said the police department checks on her regularly and that her daughter remains an inspiration.

"I'm always thinking about her last moments," she said. "But I'm also always thinking about what she had to give to the world."

The last award is the department's highest honor, the Police Medal. It was awarded to bot Vasquez-Lasso and Preston. The department will officially honor fallen officer Luis Huesca in 2025.