Minneapolis Police Chief Timothy J. Dolan Receives HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award

MINNEAPOLIS, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, a corporate leader in domestic violence prevention, presented Minneapolis Police Chief Timothy J. Dolan with the Verizon Wireless HopeLine® Law Enforcement Partnership Award. The award, given during a ceremony as part of National Police Week, recognizes law enforcement agencies or individuals that have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to and focus on preventing domestic violence and raising awareness in their communities.

In recognition of Chief Dolan and the police department's work with the Domestic Abuse Project of Minneapolis (DAP), Verizon Wireless also presented a $10,000 HopeLine grant to DAP to fund a community advocate who will focus primarily on Latinas affected by domestic violence in Minneapolis.

"In 2009, for the first time in 10 years, there were no domestic homicides in Minneapolis, and that is why we are proud to honor Chief Dolan for his leadership on this important issue," said Seamus Hyland, president–Great Plains Region, Verizon Wireless. "Through our HopeLine program, we support law enforcement officers and non-profit agencies, such as the Domestic Abuse Project, that are working to eliminate domestic violence in our communities."

Dolan was recommended for the award by Carol Arthur, executive director of DAP. "Chief Dolan has been an advocate of improving police response to domestic violence since his days as a street cop," said Arthur. "He supported the implementation of city-wide domestic abuse training for all 800 Minneapolis police officers which has led to better evidence collection and police reports, resulting in an 18% increase in successful prosecutions."

In 2009, nearly 10 percent of advocacy clients working with DAP were Latina and since 1990 the Hispanic population of Hennepin County has increased by 518 percent. "This HopeLine grant will enable our Latina advocate to provide assistance to those identified by police contact, as well as to reach out to the Latino community to provide information about resources and help available even before an arrest occurs,." said Arthur.

Dolan is among an elite list of national recipients of the HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award, including in 2009 Police Chief Ronald L. DePompa of Glendale, Calif., the Georgia chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and Sheriff Al Lamberti of the Broward County, Fla. Sheriff's Office.

Verizon Wireless is a recognized corporate leader for its commitment to preventing domestic violence and raising awareness of the issue through the company's exclusive HopeLine program. HopeLine collects no-longer-used wireless phones and accessories from any wireless service provider at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores. Most phones and equipment are refurbished with the proceeds used to provide newer wireless phones for domestic violence survivors and to provide financial support to non-profit advocacy agencies. Remaining phones are recycled in an environmentally sound way.  

For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. A complete list of past honorees of the HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award is also available online at http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/lawenforcement.html.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving nearly 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 81,000 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.

About the Domestic Abuse Project:

For thirty years DAP has provided services to every member of the family affected by domestic violence, including domestic violence therapy, crisis intervention services, legal advocacy, outreach and community education. DAP provides direct service to more than 4,000 people in the Twin Cities metropolitan area each year. For more information about DAP call 612.874.7063 or visit www.domesticabuseproject.org.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless