- Time Period: Nazi Germany (Interwars Period, World War II)
- Institution: 30 January 1938
- Country: Germany
The Police Long Service Award (or Polizei-Dienstauszeichnung in German) was a commendation given to active members of the German police during the Nazi era. Designed by Professor Richard Klein, the awards varied slightly depending on the length of service.
On January 30, 1938, Adolf Hitler instituted the Police Long Service Award to recognize police personnel based on their years of service. The awards were issued in three grades for eight, eighteen, and twenty-five years of service.
Eligibility required active membership in the police force or administrative service, with military service time also counting towards the total service duration.
The Police Long Service Award Design
Each medal featured the police insignia—a national eagle emblem surrounded by a wreath—on the obverse, with the inscription “Für treue Dienste in der Polizei” (“For faithful service in the Police”) on the reverse.
Eight-Year Award:
- Design: Silver, round medal, 38 mm in diameter.
- Ribbon: Cornflower blue, 35 mm wide.
- Obverse: Police insignia.
- Reverse: Number 8 with the inscription “Für treue Dienste in der Polizei.”
Eighteen-Year Award:
- Design: Silver-gray four-pointed cross (Ordenskreuz), 43 mm in size.
- Ribbon: Cornflower blue with a woven police insignia, varying in width (37 mm or 51 mm).
- Obverse: Police insignia.
- Reverse: Inscription “Für treue Dienste in der Polizei.”
Twenty-Five-Year Award:
- Design: Gold four-pointed cross (Ordenskreuz), similar to the eighteen-year award but in gold.
- Presentation Case: Green simulated leather with the number 18 or 25 embossed on the top. Inside, the case had a white satin lid and a velvet lower portion.
On August 12, 1944, a higher grade was authorized for forty years of service, designed as a gold metal bar with the number 40 and oak leaves, to be affixed to the ribbon of the twenty-five-year award. However, there is no record of this being awarded before the end of World War II.
