Commemorating Sprint’s long-standing partnership with America’s Most Wanted and to honor the show’s important work, on May 14 in New York City Sprint hosted a celebration dubbed the “Night of a Thousand Captures.” Over 600 customers, partners and members of law enforcement joined the Sprint team as it recognized and thanked John Walsh and the AMW crew.

The excitement mounted as the line of attendees wound around the block outside the Arena Night Club and waited for the arrival of John Walsh and his family. Bag pipers entertained the crowd and then serenaded the family when they arrived. After a brief interview with the television crew everyone entered one of New York’s popular night clubs for the reception.

left to right:Chris Hackett, Sprint Vice president of Business and Public Sector Sales Programs with John Walsh and Leon Frazier in Times Square.

Chris Hackett, vice president of Business and Public Sector Sales Programs, kicked off the evening and addressed the standing-room-only crowd. In his remarks, Hackett focused on the public/private partnership formed between Sprint, Sprint partners, Panasonic and ICOP, and AMW and lauded Walsh and the show as it begins its 22nd season. The first and longest-running reality series has become a television phenomenon—turning the nation’s couch potatoes into crime fighters. And the results have been tremendous. AMW has captured its 1000th “scum bag,” as Walsh refers to them—which translates into roughly one per week for the last 20+ years—and in the process has found three dozen abducted children.

Chauncey Normandin of the Defenders Law Enforcement MC in Naples, FL joined Hackett on stage to present Walsh and his family with the first ever American Heroes Foundation Patriots Award. The group is dedicated to providing long-term support to agencies that help the families of first responders. Hackett then presented a check in the amount of $20,000 to Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS). The check represented the proceeds from the 5K National Police Week run held in Washington, D.C. on May 10. Sprint also commissioned a painting for the AMW crew created by Walsh’s daughter, Meghan who is an artist living and working in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood.

Moved by the presentations, Walsh held up Sprint as a corporation that really does give back and makes a difference, citing Hackett and Leon Frazier as “angels that created this relationship years ago.” Walsh categorized Sprint as a trusted brand and the partnership as one about power, social responsibility and support for first responders. He also thanked his family for their support through the years and, in particular, his wife for the constant inspiration and persistence. Walsh concluded his remarks with his popular tag line that closes every show — “you can make a difference.”

The celebration then moved via a procession to Times Square and continued into the night. The entire evening was recorded for an episode of AMW which aired on Saturday, May 17 and included highlights of some of the show’s most spectacular moments over the years. Sprint was prominently displayed at both the party and on the Jumbotron in Times Square during the recording of the show and during the airing of the episode.

It was a memorable evening that Sprint was pleased to share with customers, partners and public safety officers. Sprint is proud of its work to help meet the needs of the law enforcement community and grateful for their important work and the life-saving phenomenon that Walsh has created with America’s Most Wanted.