Verizon Wireless Names Atlanta, Georgia, Police Chief George Turner A HopeLine Hero

ATLANTA, GA — On Wednesday evening, Verizon Wireless presented Atlanta Police Chief George Turner with a 2012 HopeLine^® Hero Award for his work against domestic violence and his support of victim assistance and survivor resource programs in the Atlanta area. The award was accompanied by a $2,500 Verizon HopeLine grant, to be given to a non-profit organization dedicated to domestic violence awareness and prevention chosen by Chief Turner. Deputy Chief John Dalton, commander of the Criminal Investigations Division, accepted the award and donation on behalf of Chief Turner.

HopeLine is Verizon’s national recycling program, which collects no-longer-used wireless devices – all models, from all wireless carriers – and accessories to be refurbished, recycled and/or sold. Proceeds benefit victims of domestic violence here in Georgia and around the country through grants and the donation of wireless phones and service. Since the launch of HopeLine in 2001, Verizon Wireless has collected more than 9 million phones and funded more than $14.2 million in cash grants for domestic violence organizations across the country.

“We created the HopeLine Hero Award to express our gratitude to dedicated community leaders across the nation who everyday take on domestic violence issues head on and go above and beyond to support domestic violence survivors. Chief Turner has proven his commitment to ending domestic violence in Atlanta and we are honored to highlight his achievements in this area with this award,” said Jonathan LeCompte, president – Georgia/Alabama region, Verizon Wireless.

The Atlanta police department formed a Domestic Violence Squad in January 2012 with one lieutenant, one sergeant and eight investigative officers focused solely on investigating acts of violence targeting women and children. The department offers many different resources to domestic violence victims as well as abusers and works closely with non-profit and governmental partners to ensure the victims receive the appropriate social service help they need. Year to date, the unit has handled 765 total cases including: eight domestic rapes, 20 domestic robberies, 288 domestic aggravated assaults, 391 domestic batteries, 26 other sex offenses  and 32 other offenses. Eight-six percent of these cases have ended in arrest or an arrest warrant for the abuser. In 100 percent of these cases, resources have been delivered to the victim and to the abuser.

“Domestic violence is a terrible crime that is far too prevalent in our community. We take domestic violence seriously and simply cannot tolerate it. I appreciate Verizon Wireless recognizing the work my team is doing in this arena. Their HopeLine program has helped a lot of Georgians over the years and it’s an honor to receive this award,” said Chief Turner.

The award to Chief Turner was presented at the “Silent No More” Candlelight Vigil which took place at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce yesterday evening to honor the women, men and families who have been silenced by their batterer as well as those who broke their silence to take a stance against domestic violence. The event was produced by The Georgia Coalition against Domestic Violence (GCADV), Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV), Secur’us House and International Women’s House.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 96 million retail customers, including 90.4 million retail postpaid customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 75,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: 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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