MEDIA CENTER

Trooper Ben Gardner is a retired Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper with 26 years of service, a U.S. Army veteran, national speaker, author, and founder of the #HelpMore movement. After a career spent on Kansas highways—delivering death notifications, building one of the most followed law enforcement social media pages in the country, and connecting with communities—Trooper Ben now speaks to schools, organizations, and public safety groups about purpose, service, leadership, and finding where you belong. His memoir, Awkward in a Thin Blue Line, releases October 1, 2026. His message is simple: help more, judge less, keep going.

Trooper Ben Gardner served 26 years with the Kansas Highway Patrol before retiring to pursue a new mission: helping people discover purpose, make safer choices, and help more. A U.S. Army veteran who struggled in school with IEPs and a sense of not belonging, Trooper Ben found his path through military service and a career in law enforcement. During his tenure, he spent nearly 14 years delivering defensive driving presentations, became one of the most recognizable law enforcement voices on social media by building a 125,000-follower page, and knocked on more doors than he can count—delivering the news no family wants to hear. Today, Trooper Ben is a national speaker, author, and public safety consultant. He speaks to schools, businesses, agencies, and community groups about leadership, social media best practices, active shooter preparedness, safe driving, and the importance of noticing, caring, listening, and acting. He is the founder of the #HelpMore movement and the #HelpMore Foundation, launching July 1, 2026. His memoir, Awkward in a Thin Blue Line—written with Elaine McAllister—releases October 1, 2026 and traces the chapters before the badge: childhood struggles, military years, the early days of the Patrol, and the quiet lessons that shaped a life of service. Trooper Ben lives in Lindsborg, Kansas. His message is simple: help more, judge less, keep going.

Trooper Ben Gardner is a retired Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper, U.S. Army veteran, national speaker, author, and the founder of the #HelpMore movement. He served 26 years with the Kansas Highway Patrol, spending nearly 14 of those years delivering defensive driving presentations that became one of his most requested programs. Trooper Ben did not grow up feeling like he had it all figured out. He struggled in school, navigating IEPs and a persistent sense that he did not quite belong. He found his way through military service in the U.S. Army and then through a career in law enforcement, where he spent more than two decades on Kansas highways. During his career, Trooper Ben knocked on doors no one wants to answer. He delivered death notifications to families—news that would change their lives forever. He watched people take small steps backward as they opened the door, their bodies already bracing for what was coming. Those moments stayed with him. They are the reason he believes so strongly in training, in preparation, and in choices that protect lives. Trooper Ben also became one of the most recognizable voices in law enforcement social media. He built a Facebook page that grew to 125,000 followers—not by chasing likes, but by showing the human side of public service. His approach was simple: be real, be consistent, and care about the people on the other side of the screen. After retiring from the Patrol, Trooper Ben launched the #HelpMore movement, a call to notice, care, listen, and act. The #HelpMore Foundation, launching July 1, 2026, will formalize that mission. The foundation's four pillars—Notice, Care, Listen, Act—guide everything he does. As a speaker, Trooper Ben addresses schools, businesses, agencies, and community groups on topics including leadership, social media best practices, active shooter preparedness (Run, Hide, Fight), social media safety for students, and safe driving. He speaks with honesty, humor, and heart—helping audiences think differently about how they lead, serve, and care for others. Trooper Ben is the author of the Social Media Pocket Guide, a practical resource for law enforcement and public safety professionals, and the upcoming memoir Awkward in a Thin Blue Line, written with Elaine McAllister. The memoir, releasing October 1, 2026, goes back to the chapters before the badge—the childhood, the military years, the early days of the Patrol, the hard moments, the funny ones, and the quiet lessons that sneak up on you. It is honest in the way that matters: not polished, not packaged. Trooper Ben lives in Lindsborg, Kansas, with his family. His message, wherever he goes, is the same: help more, judge less, keep going.