The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has announced they have partnered with Ring to make it easier for residents to share surveillance video with law enforcement when a crime occurs.
Sheriff John Idleburg authorized the agreement with Ring, which is an Amazon owned company, that will assist sheriff’s deputies and detectives solve crime with the community’s assistance, according to a statement.
“This partnership will not allow unapproved access to any videos recorded by the community’s ring device. Nor does it allow sheriff’s staff to see who owns a Ring device. Sheriff’s personnel will never be able to see a ‘live-view’ from the community’s Ring devices,” Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.
Instead, when the sheriff’s office believes a crime may have been captured on a Ring device, they can send a message to residents in a specific geographical region via the Neighbors app by Ring, Covelli said.
Then, the residents can determine if their device captured anything relevant, the sheriff’s office said. Camera owners have the choice to share the video directly with the sheriff’s office or they can decline the request. Ring customers also have the option to decline receiving messages from the sheriff’s office all together.
“This partnership will aid criminal investigators in capturing actual criminal acts being committed, the faces of suspects involved in a criminal acts, or vehicles used to commit a crime. Additionally, it gives the sheriff’s office and the community another platform to be able to have back-and-forth dialogue,” Covelli said.
“Anytime we can utilize a new platform to communicate and work with the community on solving crimes, it’s a win for everyone. Video technology is everywhere and can be extremely useful in holding thieves and other criminals accountable for victimizing others. We are excited to work with Ring and our residents on the Neighbors App on this non-intrusive collaborative approach to helping solve crime,” Sheriff John Idleburg said.
The Neighbors app is available for free on iOS, Android and FireOS devices.