Wireless Phones Help Protect Victims Of Domestic Violence In New York

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STATEN ISLAND, NY — Richmond County District Attorney William L. Murphy today accepted 25 wireless phones from Verizon Wireless to help women in Staten Island who are threatened by domestic violence. The donation is made possible through the Verizon Wireless HopeLineSM Program, which uses wireless technology and financial resources for domestic violence prevention and education, the company's chief community focus.

The District Attorney's Sex Crimes/Special Victims Bureau will lend the phones to women at risk throughout the county to carry with them to call for help in an emergency. The phones are pre-programmed to dial 9-1-1 and Safe Horizon's city-wide domestic violence hotline, 1-800-621-4673.

"Having wireless phones in hand will allow women to go about their day-to-day lives with less fear," Murphy said. "They can go to work and take their children to school secure in the knowledge that if the abuser appears, they can call for help."

District Attorney Murphy and Verizon Wireless began working together in 1996 to help protect women at risk. Since then, the company has donated 160 wireless phones to the District Attorney's Sex Crimes/Special Victims Bureau and Safe Horizon, and HopeLine voice mailboxes to domestic violence shelters in the county. The wireless voice mailbox service acts like an answering machine and allows victims to receive and retrieve personal messages from potential employers, landlords and healthcare providers.

"No offense shakes individual security more than violence in the home," said Charles Hand, president of Verizon Wireless' New York Metro Region. "At Verizon Wireless, we continue to be humbled by the strength of domestic violence survivors and proud to provide them with resources that can help them rebuild their lives."

Through its Hopeline phone recycling program, the company collects no longer used wireless phones to be refurbished, recycled or sold. Proceeds are donated to domestic violence advocacy groups or used to purchase phones for victims. As a result of HopeLine and related phone recycling programs the company has organized since 1995, Verizon Wireless has collected one million used wireless phones for the benefit of domestic violence victims, including more than 60,000 wireless handsets in the New York Metro area. Donations are accepted at all 66 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the New York Metro area. For store locations and additional information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 33.3 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com.

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