A-TACS Camo Joins as a Safety Grant Sponsorship Partner in the 2011 Spirit of Blue Campaign
OutdoorHub 11.08.11
The Spirit of Blue Foundation announced today that Digital Concealment Systems, LLC, under their brand A-TACS Camo (www.a-tacs.com), has officially joined as a Safety Grant Sponsor in the Spirit of Blue Campaign. A-TACS Camo, which stands for Advanced Tactical Concealment System, is designed as a universal pattern for a wide range of operational environments to include both military and law enforcement applications. This new pattern took the tactical world by storm in 2010 and the network of brands using A-TACS Camo has grown quickly.
“While the tactical camouflage market has exploded in just the last few years, most law enforcement officers don’t have a need for camouflage apparel, footwear and equipment,” stated Ryan T. Smith, Vice-Chairman of the Spirit of Blue Foundation. “But for those who do, camouflage isn’t a fashion statement. The ability to conceal their presence is one of the key factors in creating an advantage in the field to keep themselves safe and effective in the execution of their duties. A-TACS Camo provides a tremendously strong concealment solution and as a brand they have created an extensive network of partners who use their pattern to create product solutions for almost every tactical application.”
A-TACS is already in use by Spirit of Blue partners Bushmaster Firearms, L3-EOTech and Blue Force Gear.
“We are proud to be associated with the Spirit of Blue Foundation,” commented Philip Duke, co-owner of Digital Concealment Systems. “We have been happy to see the law enforcement community adopting our pattern as good numbers of tactical teams across the county begin using A-TACS Camo. As our product offering broadens we anticipate more teams switching over to utilize the advantages that A-TACS Camo has to offer.”
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 benefitting 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 benefitted 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 partnered with the Spirit of Blue Foundation.
Preliminary statistics through November 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 14% percent over the same period in 2010. Firearm-related deaths reached 55, an increase of 25% 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 A-TACS Camo, 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.
The Spirit of Blue Foundation, Inc., based out of Chicago, IL, is a non-profit organization 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 on a national level with the support of partner non-profits and equipment brands. The Foundation’s portion of fundraising proceeds are distributed in the form of Safety Equipment Grants to law enforcement agencies from local to federal levels.
