The Los Angeles Police Department will host its Above & Beyond Awards Ceremony Thursday, during which Chief Jim McDonnell will present officers with the department’s highest honors — the Medal of Valor, Purple Heart and Preservation of Life Awards.

Thursday’s event, emceed by actor/comedian Howie Mandel, will take place at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

The awards honor 16 officers — including a K9 officer named Aro — “who knowingly and willingly placed themselves in grave danger to protect others,” according to an LAPD statement.

One officer will be honored posthumously.

According to the LAPD, the actions honored include the following:

— On June 5, 2024, Officers Jose Avila and Jerry Coletto responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call and encountered a vi

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