2019-025 Public Safety Use of Doorbell Monitoring TechnologyDate: February 8, 2019 Report No. 2019-025
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
The purpose of this report is to provide the City Council with details regarding doorbell camera
monitoring technology and its ability to assist with public safety.
BACKGROUND:
At the November 13, 2019 City Council Meeting, Council Member Hudspeth requested
information regarding how doorbell monitoring systems could be used to assist with public safety
efforts. Staff researched current doorbell monitoring technology that is on the market and found
that options range from standalone units to full security systems, and most of them link to a mobile
application (app) that is available on smart phones. Some apps notify the owner when there is
movement in the range of the camera, record footage of visitors that approach the camera, allow
the owner to view a live feed, and offer the ability to speak with people at their door through the
device.
Some of the options for standalone doorbell cameras include:
Brand and Product Approximate
purchase price (not
including tax)
Approximate
monthly video
recording cost
Ring Video Doorbell $100 $3 single camera or
$10 unlimited
cameras
Ring Video Doorbell 2 $170 $3 single camera or
$10 unlimited
cameras
Ring Video Doorbell Pro $250 $3 single camera or
$10 unlimited
cameras
Nest Hello $230 $5 for 5-day
recording history,
$30 for 30-day
history
Zmodo Greet Pro $165 $5 for 7-day
recording history,
$10 for 30-day
history
August Doorbell Cam Pro $200 Free for 24-hour
history, $5 for 30-day
history
Wisenet SmartCam D1 Video Doorbell $200 $5 for 30-day history
Date: February 8, 2019 Report No. 2019-025
Currently, doorbell monitoring video provided to the Police Department with the consent of the
owner may be used in the same manner as any other form of surveillance video that the department
has traditionally obtained. Like video retrieved from a business’s or store’s camera system, the
video from a residential doorbell camera would be stored and protected as an item of evidence in
the case that is being investigated. The video may provide proof that an offense occurred or footage
that would assist the investigator in identifying the offender.
From time to time and only with the owner’s consent, the videos may be shared publicly with the
media or on the Police Department’s social media feeds in an effort to identify the offender. These
videos could be used in any subsequent legal proceedings (i.e. hearings, trials) provided they
satisfy requirements of the Texas Rules of Evidence and other applicable court rules. However,
such videos must be unaltered, relevant, and authenticated. To show that the video is authentic, it
must be proven that the video is an accurate depiction of the incident as it occurred. To achieve
this, testimony from the owner of the video would likely be necessary. In an effort to assist with
the authentication of a video, Ring is willing to provide, upon request and as needed, a certification
of the time and date that a video was received by Ring, and is willing to provide expert testimony.
DISCUSSION:
A representative from Ring contacted the Police Department in fall 2018 to present a
demonstration of Ring’s Law Enforcement Portal. The Law Enforcement Portal offered through
Ring’s Neighbors mobile application allows users to share video directly with law enforcement.
This portal allows a law enforcement agency investigating a crime to input a date and timeframe
and draw a geo-fence around the area of interest. The portal will show the investigator a map of
every video recording created on a Ring device within those parameters. The investigator may
send a request to the owner of the camera to share their video. The owner will receive notification
via email and selects the videos they are willing to share. Those shared videos are then made
available to the investigator through the portal without the owner having to manually send the
video themselves. It is important to note that videos cannot be accessed by the Police Department
unless the owner of the video elects to share it with the department.
The Ring Neighbors app access is provided to law enforcement free of charge. Police departments
are only able to utilize the Law Enforcement Portal if the City/department has contracted with
Ring for this service. If Council chooses to move forward with this program, residents would be
able to share their videos with Police through the portal, allowing detectives to gather more
information quickly on particular cases. Processes for this will need to be established, but staff
understands that Ring has a series of checks using a third party database to ensure a user’s location
is verified before they can begin participating in the Neighbors app.
Date: February 8, 2019 Report No. 2019-025
Other Police Department currently using the Ring Neighbors app law enforcement portal include:
Denton County Sheriff
Flower Mound PD
Carrollton PD
Killeen PD
Lubbock PD
Mesquite PD
Potter County SO
Bell County SO
Bexar County SO
Harris County SO
Winter Park, CO PD
Cape Coral, FL PD
Hollywood, FL PD
Kansas City, MO PD
Oceanside, CA PD
Miami, FL PD
Tampa, FL PD
Orlando, FL PD
Los Angeles, CA PD
Fort Lauderdale, FL PD
Ventura County SO, FL
Staff researched other companies offering cloud-based camera services, and there does not
currently appear to be another company that offers a public safety features similar to the Ring
Neighbors mobile app Law Enforcement Portal.
STAFF CONTACT:
Frank Dixon
Chief of Police
(940) 349-7925
Frank.Dixon@cityofdenton.com