VOD Vodafone Group PLC

RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- While our nation mourns the loss of more than two dozen lives from the violent massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Virginia's Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli spoke out against domestic violence, an issue that impacts families, homes, communities, workplaces and schools on a daily basis.

Cuccinelli's remarks were delivered at a scheduled news conference to recognize the City of Norfolk as the eighth locality in Virginia to become certified through the Safe in Our Communities program which promotes promising practices in domestic violence prevention.  Launched in 2008 by Governor Bob McDonnell when he served as Attorney General, the Safe in Our Communities recognition program provides localities across the Commonwealth with an opportunity to share best practices, to engage in further discussion, and to increase public awareness about domestic violence. The program also serves as a vehicle to assist community leaders in assessing their current policies and practices and developing better programs to enhance community response to this issue.

The City of Norfolk, including the local domestic violence service provider, the YWCA South Hampton Roads, was recognized for many practices which distinguished its application, including the implementation of a Lethality Assessment Protocol and Lethality Screenings, and GPS monitoring for defendants and those convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence.

"I am proud to recognize the City of Norfolk for their local domestic violence efforts through the Community Recognition Program," Cuccinelli said. "I applaud their robust efforts to help combat the terrible problem of domestic violence in Norfolk, and for setting an example for other localities across the commonwealth."

The previous, seven localities to be recognized by the Safe in Our Communities program are:  Washington County's Abuse Alternatives; Chesterfield County; King George County; Fairfax County's Women's Group of Mount Vernon, Inc.; Loudoun County's Abused Women's Shelter; the YWCA of Richmond; and Tazewell County's Clinch Valley Community Action.

Partners in the Safe in Our Communities program include the statewide Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance and Verizon Wireless, which provided $10,000 in initial HopeLine funding for the program.  At today's news conference, Verizon Wireless joined with Attorney General Cuccinelli and the Action Alliance to present a $1,000 HopeLine check to this year's Safe in Our Communities recipient, the City of Norfolk. 

Attorney General Cuccinelli noted, "I'd like to thank Verizon Wireless for their continued commitment to raising awareness against domestic violence. We are so proud to have partnered with them on this important issue."

Verizon Wireless regional president Mike Maiorana commented, "We're proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Virginia's Office of the Attorney General and Virginia's Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, and recognize the important work being done in communities across the Commonwealth to improve response, enhance protections and help victims of domestic violence become survivors. Our ability to support important programs like this one depends on the continued generosity of people who chose to recycle their no-longer-used wireless devices through our HopeLine program."

HopeLine is Verizon Wireless' community service program which collects no longer used wireless handsets (all models, from all wireless carriers) and accessories to be refurbished, recycled and/or sold.  Proceeds benefit victims of domestic violence through grants and the donation of wireless phones and service.  Since HopeLine's recycling program was launched nationwide in 2001, Verizon Wireless has collected more than 9 million phones for recycling; kept more than 200 tons of electronics waste out of landfills; distributed nearly 123,000 HopeLine phones with the equivalent of more than 406 million minutes of wireless service for use by victims, survivors and organizations; and funded more than $14.2 million in cash grants for domestic violence prevention. To download a free mailing label to recycle your device or obtain materials to launch a HopeLine recycling drive in your community, visit: http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/communityservice/Phone_Drive_Tips.html

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.

About the Safe in Our Communities Program
Safe in Our Communities is a collaborative effort of the Office of the Attorney General with several state agencies and non-profit organizations, including the Department of Criminal Justice Services, the Department of State Police, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, the Virginia Poverty Law Center, the Department of Social Services, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Commonwealth Attorneys' Services Council, and the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.   

The Program also represents a unique public-private partnership of the Office of the Attorney General, the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, and Verizon Wireless. Through its HopeLine Program, Verizon Wireless has pledged grant funding to provide monetary awards to communities recognized by the Program.

To participate and be recognized by the Attorney General, eligible localities must meet all of the identified essential elements and at least five optional elements in their community response to domestic violence. For each identified element, the locality must provide a written explanation of, and to the extent possible, documentation of the locality's satisfaction of the element.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless