Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and Bell Atlantic Mobile Team Up to Fight Crime

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bell Atlantic Mobile teamed up today with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and the Reid Park community to fight crime by donating 10 wireless phones to neighborhood watch block captains.

Chris Felix, sales director for Bell Atlantic Mobile, was joined by City Councilman Patrick Cannon and CMPD Officer Chris Wetherell to announce the donation of 10 wireless phones. Provided through the company's "Wireless at Work..." program, the phones will allow community watch block captains to quickly dial 9-1-1 and access emergency, police or medical attention.

"Reid Park has been working to improve neighborhood safety through community watch programs for several years," Cannon said. "With this teaming of block captains, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and Bell Atlantic Mobile, we will be even closer to our goal."

Reid Park began its community watch program several years ago to increase safety in the community. A recent study by UNC Charlotte on the quality of inner-city life finds Reid Park to be a stable neighborhood, but with a crime rate of 2.5 times the city average. The community is also one of six neighborhoods in Charlotte that will benefit from $32 million in bonds for infrastructure improvements such as new roads and water/sewer.

"Bell Atlantic Mobile's wireless phones will be a great tool in helping increase neighborhood safety in Reid Park," Wetherell said. "This partnership helps us build problem solving partnerships with our citizens to prevent the next crime and enhance the quality of life throughout our communities."

Since 1996, Bell Atlantic Mobile's "Wireless at Work..." community service program has donated almost 450 phones, airtime and 600 HopeLine® wireless voice mail boxes in the Southeast to aid neighborhood watch programs, victims of domestic violence and homeless shelters.

"Bell Atlantic Mobile values its role in providing our wireless technology to benefit the communities we live and work in," Felix said. "We're glad our wireless phones can be used to help increase public safety in Reid Park. The hope is that these phones will not have to be used often to report emergencies, but when help is needed, the neighborhood can rest assured that help will be on the way."

Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the East and systems in the Southwest, covering 216,000 square miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets devoted exclusively to wireless voice, data and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 7.3 million customers and 8,800 employees from Maine to Georgia and in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas. Through its "Wireless at Work..." community service program, the company uses its technology to help individuals and communities improve security and emergency communications. Bell Atlantic Mobile's parent, Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:BEL) is one of the world's largest wireless communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 states and international investments in Mexico, Europe and the Pacific Rim. For more information on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit: www.bam.com ; on global operations visit: www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide .

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