AutoZone's Donated State-of-the-art Security System Makes The Salvation Army A Safer Place to Live and Work

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 19 2008 - Staff and clients who work and live at The Salvation Army's Purdue Center of Hope now feel more safe and secure at the 24/7 facility, thanks to a state-of-the-art security system donated by AutoZone and its vendors.

The Purdue Center of Hope not only houses the administrative offices for The Salvation Army, but on any given night 122 women and children can be staying in the three shelters it houses for women: The Single Women's Lodge is a temporary shelter for homeless women; the Emergency Family Shelter (EFS) provides housing, three meals a day and case management for homeless mothers and their children ages 12 and under; while Renewal Place is a transitional housing program for chemically addicted homeless women and their children.

"AutoZone wanted to participate in a project with The Salvation Army," said Major Mark Woodcock, Area Commander for The Salvation Army. "We knew we needed to upgrade the security system at The Purdue Center of Hope and it was a natural fit with AutoZone's security expertise."

The two-year project started in 2006 when AutoZone conducted a thorough risk analysis of the facility. The study looked at the use of the facility and the types of security risks at the building. After talking to staff and clients about their security concerns, AutoZone created a two-part security upgrade plan.

The first part of the security upgrade focused on a state-of-the-art closed circuit camera system. The upgrade added 32 new cameras around the building. The cameras give more visibility both inside and outside the building, something the staff find very reassuring, especially at night. The cameras take a picture of people coming into the parking lot and then capture tag numbers as cars leave. The system has a high-tech recording and playback device with archived video capability.

The second part of the security plan focused on creating a magnetic card access system to control entry to the facility. Magnetic locks on all external doors mean guests need to be buzzed in by the front desk employee. As an additional safety measure, all of the external doors to the building have an alarm which will sound if anyone uses them to exit at night.

"After doing the risk analysis, we knew we could put in a really good system for The Salvation Army that their people could benefit from," said Chuck Bryant, security director for AutoZone. "The Salvation Army is a great organization and it does so much good in our community. We wanted to make sure its people get the protection they deserve."

The staff at AutoZone spoke to their security vendors about the project and brought them out to The Purdue Center of Hope to show them around the facility and its three shelters.

"They were very impressed by what they saw at The Salvation Army," said Bryant. "They wanted to get involved and donated the equipment for the new security system."

AutoZone's vendors, Cummins Security, Bosch Security US, Town & Country Lock, Mid-South Security Group, Image Vault and Integrated Security Solutions, donated the security equipment, access cards and cameras to this project. The Salvation Army paid for labor involved in installing the equipment. However, for Major Woodcock the knowledge that staff and clients are safe is priceless.

"We want to make this facility a safe place to work and live," said Major Woodcock. "The women who live in this facility are trying to rebuild their lives, beat their addictions, care for their children and start a new chapter in their lives. I can't thank AutoZone, and their partners enough for providing a secure environment for the women in our shelters to start over."

About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army Memphis began its work in the city on October 18, 1900. Since then, the organization has fought hunger, homelessness, addiction, poverty, abuse, and suffering caused by disaster. At the center of The Salvation Army's work in Memphis is a common belief that all people can make positive changes. The Salvation Army believes in the healing power of compassion, love, dignity and respect, and use these principles to guide our actions and words.

The Salvation Army values the transforming power of God and the salvation that comes from knowing Christ as our personal savior. The Salvation Army believes that enduring change comes from holistic ministry to the mind, body and spirit.

In 2007, The Salvation Army Memphis helped more than 17,855 people, provided more than 65,000 nights of lodging, and served 208,251 meals and snacks. For more information on our work, visit www.salvationarmymemphis.org.

CONTACT:
Abby Turner
Thompson & Berry PR
(901) 328-5233

Elizabeth Duncan
The Salvation Army
(901) 260 -9130