St. Louis Sheriff Honored for Taking Action on Domestic Violence

ST. LOUIS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, a corporate leader in domestic violence prevention, announced today that Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer of Jefferson County, Mo., received the company's HopeLine® Champion Award: Law Enforcement Partnership at the National Sheriffs' Association's annual conference held in St. Louis.  The award recognizes individuals or agencies involved in law enforcement that have demonstrated extraordinary commitment and focus on preventing domestic violence and raising awareness in their communities.  

Under the leadership of Sheriff Boyer, the department started DVERT (Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team) through the U.S. Department of Justice Community Defined Solutions Grant.  The team provides a more complete response to domestic situations by partnering detectives with victim advocates.  Last year alone, Jefferson County DVERT members Dawn Davison, Kris Detmer, Ashley Cox, Detective Scott Woodward and Detective Jonas Allen served more than 1,000 victims and survivors of domestic violence.

In addition to the award, Verizon Wireless through HopeLine from Verizon will present a $10,000 donation to COMTREA Inc., a community mental health shelter in Jefferson County specializing in domestic violence and related support services.  COMTREA, founded in 1974, is committed to serving domestic violence victims, sexual assault victims and adolescents suffering from substance abuse.  

"Verizon Wireless is proud to honor the efforts of public safety organizations that are committed to taking action in their communities to end domestic violence," said Gabe Esposito, director of corporate security and business continuity for Verizon Wireless.  "We congratulate and thank Sheriff Boyer, his DVERT team and COMTREA for the countless support services they have provided to the domestic violence community."

Sheriff Boyer joins a distinguished list of individuals who have been honored with this award, including Sheriff Sandra Hutchens of the Orange County, Calif., Police Department; Police Chief Ronald L. DePompa of the Glendale, Calif., Police Department; 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 is a recognized corporate leader for its commitment to preventing domestic violence and raising awareness of the issue.  HopeLine from Verizon puts the nation's most reliable wireless network to work in the community by collecting no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless service provider and turning them into support for domestic violence victims.    

For more information on HopeLine from Verizon, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  A complete list of past recipients 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 fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including more than 88 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 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 National Sheriffs' Association

The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) is one of the largest associations of law enforcement professionals in the United States, representing more than 3,000 sheriffs across the nation, and a total membership of over 20,000. NSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among sheriffs, their deputies, and others in the field of criminal justice and public safety. Throughout its seventy year history, NSA has served as an information clearinghouse for sheriffs, deputies, chiefs of police, other law enforcement professionals, state governments and the federal government. NSA also provides management training for sheriffs and their command personnel at the National Sheriffs' Institute and through other innovative programs, workshops, and seminars. The National Sheriffs' Association, located in Alexandria Virginia also oversees the highly successful Triad Program and Neighborhood Watch.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless