The Long Beach Police Department is partnering with Ring.com to utilize its Neighbors mobile application as a crimefighting tool.
Smartphone users have long used their devices for more than just calling people; now they can use an app to help catch criminals.
The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) announced last week that it is partnering with Ring– the maker of doorbell security cameras– to use that company’s Neighbors mobile application to aid detective work.
“We believe that this platform will allow our detectives to build stronger cases with the help of video evidence and information shared with us by our community members,” LBPD Adult Investigation Section Lt. Joseph Gaynor said in a press statement.
The Neighbors-app network already has millions of users nationwide who help catch package thieves, stop burglaries and keep neighborhoods safe, the LBPD states.
LBPD spokesperson Shaunna Dandoy told the Signal Tribune Tuesday that the department will implement the new technology once it trains officers and detectives to utilize the app portal.
“A message was sent out in the Ring app notifying neighbors who are already a part of the network that LBPD is now a part of the Neighbors app,” Dandoy said. “Training will take place over the next few months.”
Jamie Siminoff, inventor and founder of Ring, affirmed the value of Ring’s partnership with the LBPD.
“Over the past few years we have learned that when neighbors, the Ring team and law enforcement all work together, we can create safer communities,” Siminoff said in a statement. “Neighbors is meant to facilitate communication between these groups while maintaining neighbor privacy first and foremost.”
Dandoy confirmed that the technology will not allow LBPD to access individual Ring cameras or private information.
“LBPD will be using this strictly as an investigation tool by looking for surveillance video in regard to specific crimes,” she said. “It does not grant our detectives or any officers the ability to just access cameras or any user data. It’s only allowing access to anything that’s already posted on the app or […] officers can go in and request footage from a specific area based on an investigation.”
Dandoy added that she has heard skepticism about privacy infringement, as if “Big Brother” will be watching everything that comes through Ring.
“That’s really not how the app works or how the portal works,” she said. “It really is only what people already post or approve for our officers to see. They can’t just hack into anybody’s Ring camera based on this partnership. It still has all the privacy in place. It’s just a tool to help further investigation.”
Smartphone users can download Neighbors for free from an app store and learn more about it at Neighbors.ring.com. LBPD says residents can also text “longbeachca” to 555888 from their smartphones to download the app, even if they don’t own a Ring camera.
App users can then “join” their specific neighborhood; share crime- and safety-related videos, photos and posts; and receive real-time safety alerts from their neighbors and Ring.
Ring partners not only with law enforcement groups but homeowner’s associations and community groups, it states on its site.
“The Neighbors app uses your address to create a radius around your home,” it says. “If anyone shares an alert on the app about crime or safety within that radius, you’ll get a notification on your phone [or] tablet.”
Users can then narrow or expand the given radius. Police see the same interface and content as users except they can view public posts in their entire jurisdiction instead of just one neighborhood, the website states.
However, LBPD warns that posting on any social-media site or app, including Neighbors, is not a substitute for reporting a crime, which residents should do with an officer or on LBPD’s website.
“If an incident is not reported, it hinders our department’s ability to fully investigate the incident to create a safer environment for our community,” LBPD states. “Tools such as the Neighbors app should be used in addition to calling police and we remind you that if you see something, say something. Report suspicious activity by calling (562) 435-6711 or 911 in case of emergency.”
