Central City Police Department Receives 2020 Trooper Cameron Ponder Memorial Grant

Spirit of Blue Vice-Chairman Brenda Tiffany, mother of Trooper Cameron Ponder, presented the Central City Police Department with lifesaving tourniquets and vest mounted carrying cases in memory of her son.

CENTRAL CITY, KENTUCKY– November 6, 2020 – The Spirit of Blue Foundation announced that it has awarded the 2020 Trooper Cameron Ponder Memorial Safety Grant to the Central City Police Department (CCPD) to outfit their entire force of officers with lifesaving tourniquets and protective duty gloves.  The North American Rescue Gen7 C-A-T Tourniquet will be worn inside of an Eleven 10 RIGID Tourniquet Case mounted on each officers’ ballistic vest carrier.  Officers also received a pair of Hatch puncture protective neoprene duty gloves designed to protect officers’ hands from needle pricks or other sharp objects.  The grant was funded by a strategic partnership with Law Enforcement United and is valued at $1,387.

This memorial grant is awarded each year in the State of Kentucky in memory of Kentucky State Police Trooper Cameron Ponder, who was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 13, 2015 along a stretch of Interstate 24 that runs through Lyon County, Kentucky.

Tourniquets have proven to be incredibly effective in stemming blood flow to an injured extremity, and their use has vastly improved the survivability of soldiers in combat over the last two decades.  That learning overseas is now being leveraged to save injured law enforcement officers here at home.  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 duration of an officer’s career so that no officer who uses their tourniquet will have to go without one in the future.

To date, Spirit of Blue has granted 3,300 tourniquets nationwide which have resulted in 12 documented saves – 11 of community members by officers with granted equipment and one save of a Kentucky State Trooper which came in June of 2019.

The lead sponsor for the grant was Law Enforcement United (LEU), who has supported Spirit of Blue with over $382,000 in safety grant funding since 2015.  LEU is an organization of 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 $7,250,000 for law enforcement causes.

Other sponsors include the Ford Fund and Sportsmen Organized for Law Enforcement, along with assistance from North American Rescue and Eleven 10 who offered special pricing on the equipment.

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.