WASHINGTON � The George Washington University Police Department (UPD) is teaming with Sprint to establish a �Campus Watch� program, which calls for student volunteers to help enhance the safety and security of the Foggy Bottom community.  GW is the first local university to partner with Sprint for this initiative. 

Campus Watch features a select group of students who will carry PCS phones pre-programmed to call the UPD dispatcher. The phones will enable students to report suspicious activity or breaches in security � i.e. unattended property, burned out light on campus, etc. � as they go about their day-to-day activities on campus. Sprint donated 40 direct-dial mobile phones for the program. The names of Campus Watch program volunteers will remain confidential. 

"This is an exciting opportunity for students to have a direct impact on security and safety on campus,� said UPD Chief Dolores Stafford. �Students are all over this campus on a daily basis, so training them about what to report and giving them the means to immediately report potential problems or concerns without taking up too much of their valuable time is a huge benefit to GW. This is also a terrific way for GW and Sprint to create a partnership that allows for the GW community to get involved in security matters.�

The Campus Watch Program is an extension of Sprint�s �Phone Call for Safety Program.� Launched in July 2000, the Program features the donation of wireless phones and service to participating law enforcement organizations or school safety partners. By providing direct access to local officers or other safety contact, children and teens are able to privately report incidents or threats of drug abuse, harassment, physical abuse, theft, vandalism, etc.

�Wireless phones provide the instant access to police and emergency assistance that is critical to public safety," said Brian McIntee, area vice president, Consumer Channel, for the PCS division of Sprint in the Washington, D.C. area.  �Sprint is proud to partner with the GW University Police to promote safety on the college campus.�

UPD will be on hand to answer questions about the Initiative and enlist student volunteers at two GW Student Involvement Fairs during the University�s Welcome Week. The first is scheduled for September 3 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Quad on the Mount Vernon Campus. The second will be held Wednesday, September 4, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Kogan Plaza (located on H Street between 21^st and 22^nd streets).

Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the nation�s capital. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, law, engineering, education, business/public management and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of 20,500 undergraduates, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 140 countries.

Sprint is a global communications company serving more than 26 million business and residential customers in over 70 countries. With approximately 80,000 employees worldwide and more than $26 billion in annual revenues, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state of the art network technologies, including the United States� first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network. Sprint's award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone is being extended to key global markets to provide customers with a broad portfolio of scalable IP products. Sprint's high-capacity, high-speed network gives customers fast, dependable, nonstop access to the vast majority of the world's Internet content. Sprint also operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States, including more than 4,000 cities and communities.

For more information on the �Campus Watch Program,� or to learn how to volunteer call Lindi Swope at University Police, (202) 994-5356.

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