Verizon Wireless Donation Makes Streets Safer for East Orange Residents

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EAST ORANGE, NJ — A neighborhood watch group in East Orange now has instant access to police thanks to wireless phones donated by Verizon Wireless, formerly Bell Atlantic Mobile.

Through the company's "Wireless at Work" program, three cellular phones programmed to dial 9-1-1 have been donated to the North Walnut/Hamilton Resident's Block Association. The Association has organized and trained volunteers to spot suspicious and potentially dangerous behavior and to notify police. With cellular phones in hand, the patrols can report incidents immediately, call for help and catch offenders more quickly -- all of which can potentially save lives.

"The cellular phones are specially programmed so volunteers can call for assistance when they suspect a crime has occurred," said Charles Hand, president of Verizon Wireless' New York Metro region. "This is one example of the many ways wireless communications can help law enforcement and improve the quality of life for all residents."

"Citizens' patrol groups can be very effective in deterring criminal activity in our neighborhoods," said Juanita Howard, founder of the association. "These phones will help our members be more effective in keeping our neighbors and our volunteers safe."

The donation is one of a series of company initiatives designed to bring the benefits of wireless technology to communities throughout the New York/New Jersey metro area.

Since the inception of Wireless at Work in 1995, Verizon Wireless has donated and recycled more than 13,000 wireless phones in the New York Metro area, providing essential communications tools to people who need a vital, reliable link to emergency services in times of crisis. Recipients of these phones include victims of domestic violence, community patrols, crossing guards and senior citizens. Domestic violence prevention & education has been the company's chief philanthropic focus since 1995.

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 25 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE:BEL), Vodafone AirTouch Plc (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD), and GTE Corp. (NYSE:GTE). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The new company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets.

Verizon Wireless, headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company in its Media Center on the Web at:http://www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter

For more information on the North Walnut/Hamilton Resident's Block Association please contact Juanita Howard at 973-677-1862.

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