Winter Springs Police Receives Safety Equipment Grant From The Spirit of Blue Foundation
Image Caption – 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 or to make a donation visit www.spiritofblue.com.