Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile wireless data technology leads to Bridgewater arrest/safe return

THE SITUATION:

When Bridgewater Police Officer Michael Sommers stopped a Ford Bronco at 9:50 p.m. on Route 22 East in Bridgewater recently, he approached the vehicle armed and ready -- armed with key criminal information alerting him to an outstanding warrant for the driver's arrest and ready to deal with more than a routine traffic stop. Elsewhere in the Township, Officer Dennis Powers was able to access key Motor Vehicles information instantly when he arrived at the scene where an elderly gentleman had crashed his car into a pole. Powers learned that the man was an Alzheimer's patient whose had disappeared and been listed by his family a "missing person" less than 24 hours earlier.

The information, critical in both these incidents, was in the officers' hands within 5-10 seconds, thanks to Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's cellular digital packet data (CDPD) technology. Each Bridgewater Township Police vehicle now is equipped with a mobile data terminal and CDPD, providing officers on the street with information they need to protect themselves and to enhance community safety. In these particular cases, the wanted man was returned to the Union County Sheriff's office to face criminal charges, and the elderly man was reunited with his concerned family.

BACKGROUND:

-- Bridgewater Police Department was first in the state to equip its police cars with mobile computers using CDPD wireless data technology.

-- Because the wireless data service, known as Bell Atlantic(R)

Airbridge Packet service, uses the company's existing

cellular network, Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile is able to provide the police department with a more reliable and affordable alternative to traditional radio transmission.

-- The department estimates that the new system will save more than 15 man-hours each day, freeing up officers to spend more time on community policing and youth-related programs.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

Bridgewater Police Officers Sommers and Powers on recent incidents, and Captain Robert Szkodny on how Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's technology is arming officers with valuable information needed to best serve the community.

Michael Anderson of Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile will discuss CDPD technology, the details of the Bridgewater Police application and how CDPD is meeting the needs of the law enforcement community.

PHOTO/VIDEO OPPORTUNITIES:

The Bridgewater officers will demonstrate mobile data terminals using CDPD technology.

NYNEX is a global communications and media company that provides a full range of services in the northeastern United States and high-growth markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Gibraltar, Greece, Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Corporation is a leader in the telecommunications, wireless communications, cable television, directory publishing and entertainment and information services.