In early September, subscribers to the Neighbors app by Ring who live in Brick Township were advised by an in-app announcement that the police department had joined the app. On September 18th, the BTPD officially went “on board” with Neighbors by Ring, giving supervisors and detectives in the department access to the Neighbors Portal.
The benefits of joining together with Neighbors by Ring are obvious, as several cases of criminal activity, motor vehicle accidents and other incidents have been successfully solved due to the ability to view footage users have shared from those who have security cameras on their premises. But now, through our membership in Neighbors by Ring, finding helpful footage has been enhanced by our ability to work with the community utilizing the power of social media, instant communication with our residents, and more expedited canvassing for video.
Our residents’ rights to privacy and the privacy of the Neighbors by Ring users are of the utmost importance to The Brick Township Police Department. We would like to assure our residents that this program does not allow any access to camera footage without the owner’s permission. Here’s what it does do:
- Allows us to interact on a social media network with members of our community who are using the free Neighbors app.
- Allows us to send out requests for videos in targeted geographical areas and specific time frames to assist in the investigation of crime or any other incident that would warrant police involvement.
- Allows the residents in our community another avenue of communication with the police department.
- Creates a cooperative relationship between the police and residents for the peace and safety of our township.
In other words, through this program, the community will be able to work together, sharing pertinent footage as appropriate from the many camera systems throughout our township. The combination will provide a benefit greater than the sum of its many parts.
Some of the crimes that our residents’ cameras have helped us solve include vehicle burglaries, home burglaries, thefts, trespassing, domestic violence, illicit drug activity and assault by auto.
According to Chief James Riccio, the Brick Police department is a proactive community oriented department. We care about our residents and we are always looking for new and innovative ways to assure the quality of life and ways in which we can solve crimes and enhance the security of our community. Joining with Neighbors by Ring is a significant step in achieving those goals.