Tag Archives | Spirit of Blue

Spirit of Blue Grants Tourniquets to Owensboro Police Department

OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY – October 1, 2019 – The Spirit of Blue Foundation announced that it has awarded a Safety Equipment Grant to the Owensboro Police Department (OPD) to outfit all of their 110 officers with tourniquets and duty belt cases.  The Gen7 C-A-T Tourniquet from North American Rescue and a RIGID TQ Case with Basketweave finish from Eleven-10 has been added to their uniform policy and will be worn on their duty belts.  The grant was primarily funded by a partnership with Law Enforcement United and is valued at $7,736.70.

“Tourniquets are wonderful to have, but they are only useful if you have them at hand.   Seconds save lives,” stated Deputy Chief Jeff Speed of the Owensboro Police Department.  ”These new tourniquets will improve safety for both officers and for members of the public who are injured because they will always be on an officer’s belt.”

Tourniquets are vital pieces of medical equipment that officers require on the road in the event of a traumatic injury to an extremity.  When only precious minutes exist to treat such an injury, tourniquets are able to be applied individually or on a fellow officer to prevent excessive blood loss until that individual can be placed into medical care.  As a secondary benefit, officers who carry a tourniquet are also able to use them to rescue a member of the community who may have experienced a similar type of injury.  Spirit of Blue Foundation will replace any tourniquet that is used in the line of duty for the life of the tourniquet so that no officer who uses their tourniquet will have to go without one in the future.

Since its first tourniquet grant in 2013, Spirit of Blue has granted 3,300 tourniquets nationwide with one officer and five community member saves being made as a result.

“This is the tenth grant we have awarded in the Bluegrass State,” shared Ryan T. Smith, Executive Director of the Spirit of Blue Foundation.  “Each agency we have worked with is staffed with the most wonderful, committed people.  These communities are fortunate to have protectors such as these standing in the gap.”

The lead sponsor for the grant was Law Enforcement United (LEU), who has supported Spirit of Blue with over $280,000 in safety grant funding since 2015.  LEU is an organization of 1,000 active and retired police officers who honor fallen officers and raise funds to assist charitable organizations that serve the law enforcement community.  Each year LEU members ride 250 miles or more into Washington, DC to participate in National Police Week events and carry flags in honor of fallen officers which are given to the surviving family members upon their arrival.  Since its founding in 2009, LEU has raised over $6,750,000 for law enforcement causes.  Other sponsors included North American Rescue and Eleven 10 who offered special pricing on the equipment.

Statistics released by the Officer Down Memorial Page show that 92 law enforcement officers have already lost their lives in 2019.  On average, 150 officers are lost in the line of duty each year.  36 of those deaths were firearm related, which so far has been the leading cause of officer deaths this year.  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 and 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, or to become an annual member, visit www.spiritofblue.org.

Image Caption – Receiving the Spirit of Blue Safety Equipment Grant was (left to right) Officer Craig Sutter, Deputy Chief Jeff Speed, Major Gordon Black and Lieutenant JD Winkler of the Owensboro Police Department.

About The Spirit of Blue Foundation

The Spirit of Blue Foundation 501(c)(3) is based out of Rochester, NY and is dedicated to the enhancement of officer safety and vitality throughout the law enforcement community by promoting public awareness for their protection and fulfilling safety equipment and training needs.  The Spirit of Blue Foundation develops and executes fundraising campaigns nationally with the support of partner non-profits, national retailers and safety equipment manufacturers.  Fundraising proceeds are distributed in the form of Safety Equipment and Training Grants to law enforcement agencies across the country from local to federal levels.  Since 2011 the Foundation has awarded 112 grants in 40 states.

Spirit of Blue Annual Memberships

Spirit of Blue is now offering new way to support their efforts to promote police officer safety. Their new annual memberships help fund their mission while also providing perks to members.

LEO (Blue) memberships are just $20 a year. Non-LEO (Gold) memberships are $10 a month. JTT readers can receive their first three months of a non-LEO membership for free if they use the code JTT at checkout.

SpiritofBlue.org

Spirit of Blue – K9 Portrait Contest

Police K9 handlers and their partners have a special bond.  They’re workmates throughout each shift and family members when they head home.  These K9s work hard to provide capabilities humans don’t have, like drug and explosive detection, tracking, and apprehension skills.  To recognize and honor them, Spirit of Blue is celebrating the love between working dogs and their handlers by awarding one winner a custom, hand-drawn portrait of their K9 by artist Scott Vitolins (www.svitolinsart.com).

Enter here – www.spiritofblue.org/contest/

Frank Cappo of 5.11 Tactical Joins Spirit of Blue Board

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK – September 26, 2017 – The Spirit of Blue Foundation is excited to announce that Frank Cappo, Vice President of Law Enforcement Sales at 5.11 Tactical, has joined the Spirit of Blue Board of Directors.  5.11 Tactical is a leading manufacturer of purpose-built apparel and gear designed specifically to enhance the safety, accuracy, speed, and performance of tactical professionals and enthusiasts worldwide and is based out of Irvine, CA.  Frank previously served as a police officer with the Overland Park (KS) Police Department for 12 years with assignments as both a patrol and SWAT officer, a police academy instructor, department quartermaster and director of training.  In his volunteer role with Spirit of Blue, Frank will be focused on new sponsor acquisition and advising on the administration of the Foundation’s Safety Grant Program.

“I’m very excited to join the board of the Spirit of Blue Foundation,” said Frank Cappo, newly appointed Spirit of Blue Board Member.  “After leaving a career in Law Enforcement I always felt there was something missing for me personally.  And I wanted to find a way to continue to give back.  With my association with the Spirit of Blue I now have a way to help agencies and communities around the country who cannot afford quality, life-saving equipment.”

Spirit of Blue’s Board of Directors is comprised of business professionals who each have either previously served in law enforcement or have a special connection to that community and the cause of Officer Safety.  The Board is relied upon heavily for governance, regulating financial affairs and fundraising to support the day-to-day operations managed by the Executive Director.  Additionally, each Board Member helps in presenting grant awards around the country and advocates for Officer Safety where they live and work.

“Frank became a fast friend of the Foundation after a chance encounter and conversation passing through an airport,” commented Ryan T. Smith, Executive Director of the Spirit of Blue.  “That conversation led to others and it was apparent that Frank connected with our mission of protecting police officers.  And, he knows the job inside and out, along with the risks and the needs.  When we asked him to sit on the Board he responded quickly and enthusiastically and his contribution has already been significant.”

Since 2011, the Spirit of Blue Foundation has awarded 47 grants in 24 states valued at over $200,000.  The grants have varied from patrol rifles, body armor, riot control gear, AED’s, K9’s, forensic software, flashlights, Police/Youth Dialogue training, night vision optics, LED flares, ballistic helmets and self-contained breathing apparatus.  The Foundation is supported on an ongoing basis by Law Enforcement United, Sportsmen Organized for Law Enforcement and LMT Defense, along with a number of other premiere brands who manufacture safety equipment across a broad range of categories.  For more information or to learn how to support Spirit of Blue please go to:  www.spiritofblue.org

About The Spirit of Blue Foundation

The Spirit of Blue Foundation, based in Rochester, NY, is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to the enhancement of officer safety and vitality throughout the law enforcement community by promoting public awareness for their protection and fulfilling safety equipment and training needs.  The Spirit of Blue Foundation develops and executes fundraising campaigns nationally with the support of partner non-profits, national retailers and safety equipment manufacturers.  Fundraising proceeds are distributed in the form of Safety Equipment and Training Grants to law enforcement agencies across the country at local, county and state levels.  Since 2011 the Foundation has awarded 47 grants in 24 states valued at over $200,000.

Craig Morgan, Spirit of Blue Foundation Present Safety Equipment Grant to Dickson County Sheriff’s Office

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – August 10, 2017 – Yesterday, the Spirit of Blue Foundation partnered with country music star Craig Morgan to present a safety equipment grant to the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office.  The grant includes 70 tourniquets along with tactical belt holders that will be issued to all patrol division and reserve deputies that serve the county.  Craig formerly served as a Deputy with the Sheriff’s Office in Dickson County before embarking on his country music career and was on hand to present this grant to the Sheriff’s office in his hometown.  The grant, with a combined value of $4,238, is the first of Spirit of Blue’s 2017 Tourniquet Project campaign and was funded by a generous donation from Law Enforcement United (LEU).  LEU is an organization of over 1,000 active and retired police officers who honor fallen officers and raise funds to assist charitable organizations that serve the law enforcement community.

“Having served as a Deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, I know firsthand how critical it is to have this kind of lifesaving equipment available for all of our men and women on the force,” said Craig Morgan, following the event. “I’m glad for the opportunity to take part in this donation to Dickson County and proud to help kick off Spirit of Blue’s Tourniquet Project Campaign.”

Tourniquets are vital pieces of medical equipment that officers and deputies require on the road in the event of a traumatic injury to an extremity. When only precious minutes exist to treat such an injury, tourniquets are able to be applied individually or on a co-worker to prevent excessive blood loss until that individual can be placed into medical care.  As a secondary benefit, officers and deputies who carry a tourniquet are also able to use them to rescue a member of the community who may have experienced a similar type injury as happened with the Monroe County (NY) Sheriff’s Office in July of this year with tourniquets that Spirit of Blue granted to them in October of 2015.

“Being the recipients of this grant from Spirit of Blue means a tremendous amount to a sheriff’s office of our size. We operate on a limited budget and being able to supply all of our deputies with a new piece of equipment isn’t always feasible,” commented Sheriff Jeffrey Bledsoe of the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office. “The tourniquets and duty belt holders we are receiving will be an asset to each of our deputies.  Dickson County has a lot of areas that are rural and remote. These tourniquets could mean the difference between life and death for any one of our deputies who are out there putting their service to Dickson County ahead of themselves on a daily basis.  We are very appreciative of what Craig Morgan and the Spirit of Blue are doing for us here.”

The C-A-T Tourniquet, manufactured by North American Rescue, has proven to be 100% effective in occluding blood flow in both upper & lower extremities by the U.S. Army’s Institute of Surgical Research and has been the official tourniquet of the U.S. Army since 2005.  The duty belt holder, manufactured by Blue Force Gear, is constructed with their proprietary, lightweight ULTRAcomp material and was specially designed for Spirit of Blue’s Tourniquet Project Campaign to hold the C-A-T Tourniquet.  Spirit of Blue has granted 463 C-A-T Tourniquets since its first tourniquet grant in 2014.  In 2017, Spirit of Blue has a goal of granting another 1,000 tourniquets to officers who need them across the country.  To learn more, or participate in the campaign, visit:  www.spiritfofblue.org/TQ

Since 2011, the Spirit of Blue Foundation has awarded 47 grants in 23 states valued at nearly $200,000.  The grants have varied from patrol rifles, body armor, riot control gear, AED’s, K9’s, forensic software, flashlights, Police/Youth Dialogue training, night vision optics, LED flares, ballistic helmets and self-contained breathing apparatus.  The Spirit of Blue Foundation deeply appreciates the generosity and support of its sponsors in being able to continue its work of protecting our nation’s law enforcement officers.

Image Caption – The Dickson County Sheriff’s Office received a grant for 70 tourniquets and duty belt holders from Spirit of Blue.  Receiving the grant (left to right) were Chief Deputy Jerone Holt and Sheriff Jeffrey Bledsoe.  Presenting the grant (center) was country music star Craig Morgan and Spirit of Blue Executive Director Ryan T. Smith.  Representing the grant sponsor, Law Enforcement United, (right to left) were Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Officer Joshua Black and Sergeant Anthony Brooks.

About The Spirit of Blue Foundation

The Spirit of Blue Foundation, based in Rochester, NY, is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to the enhancement of officer safety and vitality throughout the law enforcement community by promoting public awareness for their protection and fulfilling safety equipment and training needs.  The Spirit of Blue Foundation develops and executes fundraising campaigns nationally with the support of partner non-profits, national retailers and safety equipment manufacturers.  Fundraising proceeds are distributed in the form of Safety Equipment and Training Grants to law enforcement agencies across the country from local to federal levels.  Since 2011 the Foundation has awarded 45 grants in 23 states valued at nearly $200,000.

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