There are 405 police departments across the United States working through them on their Neighbors App, according to a newly released map from Ring.
. @Ring has just released a map showing police departments across the nation that are partnering with them on their 'Neighbors' app. @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/UTB1PyTqzb
— Ali Hoxie (@ali_hoxie) September 9, 2019
Of those around 400 departments, there are nine here in southeast Michigan. The newest being @TwpPolice, others include @detroitpolice @WaterfordTwpPD @AHPOLICE @TroyMI_Police @LivoniaPD @DearbornPolice. @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/oc7hkazJa0
— Ali Hoxie (@ali_hoxie) September 9, 2019
Of those 405, there are nine in southeast Michigan:
- Waterford Police Department
- Auburn Hills Police Department
- Bloomfield Township Police Department
- Troy Police Department
- Clinton Township Police Department
- Detroit Police Department
- Dearborn Police Department
- Livonia Police Department
- Van Buren Township Public Safety Department
According to Sergeant Meghan Lehman with the Troy Police Department, the partnering with the Neighbors App allows investigators to communicate directly with people posting their videos on the app. It also allows them to request video.
A few weeks ago, a man broke into a home in Troy on Amberwood, near the intersection of Rochester Road and South Boulevard. Once inside the home, he touched a woman's leg while she was asleep. Police took to the app to request video from people living in that neighborhood.
“In that home invasion, we went door to door, that’s old fashioned police work, and there is definitely still a place for that, but this allows us to kind of speed it up. When we went door to door, there are people who aren’t home, there’s people on vacation, this is getting them a message,” said Sgt. Lehman.
As for the idea Big Brother might be watching, Sgt. Lehman says they do not have access to watch live feeds from the “Ring” doorbell.
“We have no interest in, you know, monitoring what’s going on at people's porches,” said Sgt. Lehman.
“At the end of the day, people are worried about oversight and police are looking at one, but I have the Ring camera for that oversight for the extra protection for my family,” said Tim Johnston of Kenockee Township, who has owned a Ring doorbell for a year.
