Verizon Wireless Presents HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award To Broward County, Florida, Sheriff

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and BOCA RATON, FL — Verizon Wireless, a recognized corporate leader for its commitment to raising awareness of domestic violence, presented Sheriff Al Lamberti of the Broward County Sheriff's Office with the HopeLine® Law Enforcement Partnership Award. The HopeLine award, which recognizes members of law enforcement for their work in domestic violence prevention and awareness, was given today at the National Sheriffs' Association's annual conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Pictured (l to right): Sheriff David Goad, president, NSA; Alice Brennan, associate general counsel, Verizon Wireless; Josette Van Putten, chairman of the board, Women In Distress; Sheriff Al Lamberti.

In honor of Sheriff Lamberti's efforts, Verizon Wireless donated $2,500 to Women In Distress, the leading domestic violence services agency in Broward County.

HopeLine is Verizon Wireless' phone recycling and reuse program. Phones given to HopeLine are either refurbished for reuse or those without value are disposed of in an environmentally sound way under a zero landfill policy. Proceeds from the HopeLine program are used to provide wireless phones and grants to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention and awareness.

Since the HopeLine program was created in 1995, Verizon Wireless has supported the domestic violence prevention and awareness efforts of law enforcement and government agencies in communities nationwide. Verizon Wireless' support includes the donation of wireless phones and service, high-speed Mobile Broadband Internet service and cash grants to prosecutors, detectives and other personnel in local government domestic violence units; sponsoring phone collection drives in cooperation with local sheriff and police departments; and partnering with several states' Attorneys General offices to create campaigns around elder abuse, teen dating and other domestic violence issues.

The HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award honors the efforts of public safety personnel and organizations across the country that are committed to reducing domestic violence, providing support to victims, raising awareness of the issue and educating communities about domestic violence. Previous HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award honorees include: New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Warren Riley; Chief Gary Gemme of the Worcester, Mass., Police Department; former Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist; the New Orleans Police Foundation; and the South Florida chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 86.6 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 86,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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