ROHNERT PARK, Calif., Feb. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Rohnert Park (California) Department of Public Safety today announced the Department will begin sending community-based emergency alerts using SCAN USA Corporation's proprietary "digital neighborhood alert" system. The announcement was made by Tom Bullard, Rohnert Park Public Safety Department Chief, who also demonstrated the new system for members of the department and local media.
"Public Safety departments have long recognized that reliable information and rapid communication are key elements to greater public protection and effective law enforcement. This new system allows my department to communicate real-time, important safety and emergency information to residents in our community," said Chief Bullard.
The Secure Cops Alert Network "SCAN," is a neighborhood alert system that allows local police, fire and other health and safety departments to broadcast emergency information directly to the computers, mobile phones, pagers and PDAs of their neighborhood and local residents when an emergency or security threat is detected. SCAN users choose the types of alerts they want to receive; alerts are broadcast to specific zip codes chosen by the consumer.
SCAN is being introduced initially in California with additional introductions planned for Nevada and Texas in the coming weeks. "Tens of thousands of California residents have already signed up to receive SCAN alerts," said Lou Schwartz, CEO of SCAN USA Corporation. "We plan to make the program available to millions of households across the nation by years end," Mr. Schwartz continued.
SCAN USA has entered into agreements with SBC Communications, the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs, and the National Coalition of Public Safety Officers to distribute the SCAN program to public safety agencies and residents.
SCAN USA Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly traded Sharp Holding Corporation, (OTCBB:SHAR).
About Sharp Holding Corporation: Sharp Holding Corporation invests in and manages start-up companies and new technologies poised to capture significant market share. These technologies are typically very timely in terms of the needs of the marketplace - and can therefore potentially generate substantial revenues in a short period of time.
Sharp Holding Corporation's expertise in Internet-based security software development plus its corporate sponsor distribution programs are key elements in their various holdings, as evidenced by SCAN USA. Sharp Holding Corporation has additional technologies under development.
About SBC Communications: SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves more than 46 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.
About The California Organization of Police and Sheriffs: The California Organization of Police and Sheriffs (COPS) was founded in 1975 by COPS.for COPS. Established as a 501C(5) labor organization for peace officers, COPS was the driving force behind the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act of 1976 (POBRA). COPS now represents the interests of over 60,000 active and retired peace officers and over 250,000 citizen members. COPS' mission is to provide the highest quality service to its members.
In conjunction with the provisions of the "Safe Harbor" section to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this release may contain forward-looking statements pertaining to future anticipated projection plans, performance and developments, as well as other statements relating to future operations. All such forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates of future results and there can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Further information on potential factors that could affect Sharp Holding Corporation is included in the Company's Form 10-K, which is filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.