Nassau Police Partner With Ring Neighbors App: 5 Things To Know

MINEOLA, NY — Nassau County police have partnered with the home surveillance service Ring Neighbors App to help catch porch pirates. Laura Curran, the county executive, and Patrick Ryder, the head of police, announced the partnership at a news conference Wednesday morning in Mineola.

"Tis the season for giving and, unfortunately, it's also the season for taking," Curran told reporters.

As people continue ordering more packages online, thieves take advantage of the holiday shopping season to snatch packages off porches and doorsteps.

But home surveillance services like Ring help deter crime, Curran said. That's why police have partnered with the free app.

The Neighbors team wrote in a post on the app that it was "excited" by the partnership, and said neighborhoods "just got a whole lot stronger."

Here are five things to know about the new partnership.

1. The Neighbors app is free to use. The app gives residents access to their neighbors' posts and doesn't require them to buy the product.

"You can go on to Ring's site, access the neighborhood app, and you will receive information from within your neighborhood about crime," Ryder said.

2. Law enforcement will use the app, too. Investigators will receive the same information and push out tips to neighbors so they know what law enforcement sees. A private, law enforcement portal will allow officers to tell neighbors in a certain area about crimes, giving them a date and time. Using the portal, officers will also be able to see which cameras were activated at the time.

3. Police will not have access to neighbors' cameras. Ring will send neighbors crime notifications, and they'll have the option to share their video.

"We do not have access to your cameras," Ryder stressed.

4. If neighbors want to share the video with law enforcement, Ring will take down the video and send it to the detective handling the case.

"At no time will your information be shared with anybody," Ryder said, attempting to allay any privacy concerns. "You can opt out at any time."

5. Porch piracy and vehicle break-ins are the "No. 1 crime spree" in the county, Ryder said. The partnership aims to curb the thefts.