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Posts Tagged ‘The Spirit of Blue Foundation’

Winter Springs Police Receives Safety Equipment Grant From The Spirit Of Blue Foundation

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013
 Lt. Doug Seely (left), representing the Winter Springs Police Department, is a senior member of their Criminal Investigations Bureau.  The Amped FIVE Software was presented by Todd Parola (right) Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Spirit of Blue Foundation.

Lt. Doug Seely (left), representing the Winter Springs Police Department, is a senior member of their Criminal Investigations Bureau. The Amped FIVE Software was presented by Todd Parola (right) Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Spirit of Blue Foundation.

WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA – October 1, 2013 – The Spirit of Blue Foundation announced today that it has awarded a copy of the Amped FIVE Professional forensic image and video enhancement software to the Winter Springs Police Department as part of its 2013 Safety Grant Program. A formal presentation of the software was made on August 26th at the Winter Springs Police Headquarters to Lieutenant Doug Seely, a senior member of the Criminal Investigations Bureau. The announcement of the grant was delayed due to sensitivities surrounding ongoing investigations being conducted by the department. The grant award was made possible by a generous gift from Amped Software North America and will be utilized by investigators in their daily work and on major cases.

“We are blessed to receive this Safety Equipment Grant from the Spirit of Blue Foundation,” stated Lt. Seely. “There are more and more security cameras being installed in businesses and residential areas to help people feel safe. Having the Amped FIVE forensics software will assist us in providing our services to the community using those sources of data.”

“We were very impressed with how Winter Springs plans on utilizing this powerful technology, not just within their own community, but with neighboring Law Enforcement agencies as well,” commented Todd Parola, the Chairman of the Board for the Spirit of Blue. “Our Foundation is committed to organizations like Winter Springs PD that understand the importance of integrating forensic software technology into today’s crime solving environment.”

Amped Software develops tools for the analysis, enhancement, and authentication of digital images and video for forensic, security and investigative applications. Amped FIVE Professional, their flagship product, is used by government agencies, law enforcement, forensic labs and security companies worldwide. Amped experts have worked on hundreds of cases, some of which have been of recent national and international importance. Founded in 2008 in Trieste, Italy, and with US offices in Las Vegas that serves US Law Enforcement, military, and corporate customers; Amped’s single mission is to create the one stop software for any image and video processing need related to security and investigations.

The Spirit of Blue Foundation works nationally to support the Law Enforcement community through the award of Safety Equipment Grants, funded by both private and corporate donations. So far this year the Foundation has awarded Safety Equipment Grants to the Revere (MA) Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Seven additional Safety Equipment Grants are in the acceptance process and should be awarded prior to the end of the year.

2013 preliminary statistics released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in conjunction with Concerns of Police Survivors, reveal the number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty so far this year have totaled 80, a modest 8% percent decrease from the same period is 2012. Firearm-related deaths reached 24, a decrease of 29% for the same period. While progress is being made, the reality of these statistics and the increasing number of underfunded law enforcement agencies across the country fuel the Spirit of Blue safety grant initiative.

The Spirit of Blue Foundation actively encourages the public at large to honor and appreciate law enforcement officers who serve to protect our communities. By supporting the Spirit of Blue Foundation, the public can make an impact in the lives of law enforcement officers every day. To learn more about the Spirit of Blue, make a donation or to order from a full range of Spirit of Blue products currently available, visit www.spiritofblue.com.

ampedsoftware.com/

Spirit Of Blue Foundation Adopts A-TACS Camouflage As Official Pattern Family

Sunday, September 15th, 2013

A-TACS LE

The Spirit of Blue Foundation is proud to announce that it has adopted the A-TACS LE pattern of law enforcement camouflage as its official camouflage pattern. A-TACS Camo has seen great success with its military oriented AU and FG patterns, which are utilized by some SWAT and tactical teams who serve in more rural areas. But, the new A-TACS LE pattern was specially developed for the needs of urbanized law enforcement. A-TACS Camo will be donating a portion of all sales of the new A-TACS LE patterned materials to the Spirit of Blue Foundation to fund Safety Equipment Grants to law enforcement agencies nationwide.

“A-TACS joined on early as a Safety Equipment Grant sponsor in 2011, even before they really had much of a law enforcement presence. They did it because they were so supportive of what we were trying to accomplish and they cared a lot about those who dedicate their lives to service,” commented Ryan T. Smith, Vice Chairman of Grants & Sponsorships for the Spirit of Blue. “When they approached us with this new LE pattern, and wanted to give a portion of every sale to the Foundation, we were humbled. We are going to make a great impact with their ongoing donation.”

The A-TACS LE Camo pattern combines various shades of grey, blue and black and utilizes the trademark “organic pixel” look developed by A-TACS Camo for its original A-TACS AU Camo pattern. A-TACS LE also incorporates variable angles and urban forms derived from real-world photography that effectively utilizes an even blend of light and shadow to create unique patterns with a slight horizontal flow. Additionally, A-TACS LE Camo was developed to work with variable combinations of black or blue nylon gear and other equipment allowing municipalities and departments the option to easily upgrade their gear on an “as needed” basis, gradually phasing in new items while still maintaining a cohesive and uniform appearance. For more information visit: http://www.a-tacs.com

“We’ve had a great working relationship with the folks at the Spirit of Blue Foundation for the past several years and have been looking for ways to make a greater contribution to the good work that they’re doing,” said Phil Duke, Co-Owner and Pattern Developer for A-TACS Camo. “With A-TACS LE Camo being so closely tied to Law Enforcement both in its development as well as its implementation, taking the relationship between both of our organizations to this next level of involvement just seemed like a natural fit. This is something we believe in, and we are extremely excited to see where it goes from here.”

www.spiritofblue.com/

A-TACS LE Camo Pattern Now Available

Tuesday, August 27th, 2013

A_TACS LE IMG_6576

The long awaited A-TACS LE pattern that was featured at SHOT 2013 is now available for purchase through Schott Performance Fabrics. A-TACS LE camo was developed for, and with the assistance of, law enforcement professionals. It’s designed less for concealment and more as a “show of force” pattern for specialized situations that require the use of Special Operations or Tactical Response Teams.

Additionally, not only are the A-TACS camo patterns including A-TACS LE the official patterns of the Spirit of Blue Foundation, but for every product purchased in the A-TACS LE camo pattern, Digital Concealment Systems will be donation a portion of the proceeds to the Spirit of Blue Foundation.

Be on the lookout for future announcements regarding the availability of products featuring new A-TACS LE Camo.

www.a-tacs.com/

www.schottfabrics.com/

www.spiritofblue.com/

Spirit of Blue Foundation Update

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

A couple of weeks ago we told you about the Spirit of Blue campaign and Blue Force Gear’s participation.

Now they’ve been joined by Leupold Tactical, A-TACS camo, L3-EOtech, and Combat Medical Systems as Safety Grant Sponsors.

Five non-profit organizations actively supporting the law enforcement community have already teamed up with the Spirit of Blue Foundation for the 2011 holiday campaign that launched in October. Those organizations – The National Troopers Coalition, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Sheriff’s Association, Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and the Jeffrey S. Parola Foundation – represent roughly 125,000 officers, deputies and agents nationwide.

As partners they are promoting the sale of the Spirit of Blue’s blue ribbon holiday wreath honoring and benefiting the law enforcement community. Consumers who purchase the product during the Campaign will be allowed to select which non-profit they would like to see benefited from the sale and the Foundation will donate a portion of the proceeds accordingly. At the same time, consumers will be asked to nominate a law enforcement agency that they would like to be considered to receive a Safety Grant award. At the end of the Campaign, the Spirit of Blue Safety Grant Program randomly selects nominated law enforcement agencies to receive a safety grant award. The safety grants will be redeemable exclusively through the consortium of Safety Grant Partners made up of law enforcement equipment brands.

www.spiritofblue.com

Blue Force Gear Joins The Spirit of Blue Foundation

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Blue Force Gear has announced that they are joining The Spirit of Blue Foundation as a Safety Grant Sponsor. The Spirit of Blue Foundation raises money to help upgrade the equipment of our nation’s LE community.

“The Spirit of Blue Foundation captured our attention from the moment that we heard about their mission to support the Law Enforcement professionals who protect our communities. We have been looking for ways to help raise awareness about training and equipment needs of the Law Enforcement community and Spirit of Blue seems to be the perfect avenue to accomplish that goal,” said Ashley Burnsed, President of Blue Force Gear, Inc. “As Blue Force Gear has seen great success with its product among the ranks of the military, it is a natural extension for that same gear to find its way to the street with law enforcement.”

“SWAT, Tactical and Emergency Response teams are in ever increasing demand nationwide,” stated Ryan T. Smith, Vice Chairman of the Spirit of Blue Foundation. “For these teams to operate at their peak and stay safe in the process they need the right gear. More and more, patrol officers and deputies also need access to this same equipment as the risks they face grow. We are excited about the unique solutions that Blue Force Gear has created and that agencies will be able to use their Safety Grant funds to purchase this equipment.”

Five non-profit organizations actively supporting the law enforcement community have already teamed up with the Spirit of Blue Foundation for the 2011 holiday campaign that launched in October. Those organizations – The National Troopers Coalition, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Sheriff’s Association, Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and the Jeffrey S. Parola Foundation – represent roughly 125,000 officers, deputies and agents nationwide.

As partners they are promoting the sale of the Spirit of Blue’s blue ribbon holiday wreath honoring and benefiting the law enforcement community. Consumers who purchase the product during the Campaign will be allowed to select which non-profit they would like to see benefited from the sale and the Foundation will donate a portion of the proceeds accordingly. At the same time, consumers will be asked to nominate a law enforcement agency that they would like to be considered to receive a Safety Grant award. At the end of the Campaign, the Spirit of Blue Safety Grant Program randomly selects nominated law enforcement agencies to receive a safety grant award. The safety grants will be redeemable exclusively through the consortium of Safety Grant Partners made up of law enforcement equipment brands such as Blue Force Gear.

Preliminary statistics through October 2011 released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in conjunction with Concerns of Police Survivors, revealed the number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty rose 21% percent over the same period in 2010. Firearm-related deaths reached 53, an increase of 29% from the same period in 2010. The reality of these statistics and the increasing number of underfunded law enforcement agencies across the country fueled the safety grant initiative.

The Spirit of Blue Foundation, along with Blue Force Gear, is asking consumers to ‘get in the Spirit of Blue’ this holiday season by purchasing the Spirit of Blue Wreath and giving back to the law enforcement community. The wreaths are available for purchase through December 19th and winners of safety grants will be announced in early February 2012. To learn more about the Spirit of Blue campaign, or to order a Spirit of Blue Wreath, visit www.spiritofblue.com.