Ring to stop allowing police to request doorbell camera video
MILWAUKEE - Ring doorbell cameras have become common crime-fighting tools to help law enforcement in their investigations, but new limitations could prolong police progress.
From capturing the curious, to the critical, Ring doorbell cameras lend a helping hand to police.
"We rely heavily on surveillance videos from a plethora of different resources, one of which is Ring doorbell cameras from residents," said Kenosha Police Lieutenant Josh Hecker.
But now, without giving a reason why, Ring says starting next week (Jan. 31), public safety agencies like the police can no longer directly request video from users through its Neighbors app.
Neighbors app
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"It’s an extra hurdle, it’s an extra stepping stone that law enforcement has to go through now," said Julius Kim, Managing Partner of Kim and LaVoy, S.C.
Officers can still use the app to post safety messages to users, but it seems the limitations aren't stalling everyone.
"Some rely on that app, and it’s going to hinder them more than it hinders us, but we don’t have that issue," added Hecker. He says not being able to request it through the Neighbors app isn't a big issue for them. They prefer to go door to door interacting with neighbors to ask for video.
"Which could in theory save us some time and not have to utilize a bunch of resources to go knock on doors, but ultimately, I think our approach is we rather have that face to face contact with citizens," said Hecker.
Ring doorbell
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He said they rely on Crime Stoppers and tips from the community. Although the changes may be a hindrance for some agencies, there are ways police can still get the video they need.
"They could still simply request the video from various neighbors, if the neighbors don’t want to give them the video they could subpoena video from Ring," added Kim, noting the extra steps aren't ideal.
"If police are trying to look for a kidnapping suspect, or someone that’s burglarizing a neighborhood, they can’t wait days and sometimes weeks for Ring to turn over these videos," said Kim.
Privacy watchdogs previously raised concerns about Ring's relationship with police departments across the country.
This update is the latest restriction the company made to police activity on the Neighbors app.