NYPD wants to see video from your Ring cameras

NEW YORK - More crimes are being caught on camera nowadays, thanks in part to more people using video surveillance systems, such as Amazon's Ring doorbell cameras. The NYPD is capitalizing on this and launching a partnership with Ring, allowing users to share video footage with police.

Law enforcement did it with the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, being able to track down offenders through videos and pictures posted on social media. It also helped police investigating the murder of Gabby Petito from Long Island. She and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, were traveling together when she suddenly disappeared in Wyoming. A travel blogger happened to capture video of the couple's van on the side of the road and posted it, which helped to lead police to her body. 

Criminals are also being caught with the Ring doorbell camera, which is becoming another tool police can use to fight crime. 

The NYPD is joining forces with Ring's free Neighbors app where people post their experiences of strangers stealing from them or trying to break in their homes and cars. The NYPD will now be able to access the videos on the app to try and catch criminals. 

"I am all for technology," said Professor Maria Haberfeld, the chair of the Law and Police Science Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She believes allowing the NYPD to access videos that homeowners post on the app speeds up the process of tracking down criminals. 

"In policing, it's all about response time," Haberfeld said. 

But New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman said the program raises privacy concerns and said all New Yorkers should question whenever a government agency gathers information on the public.

"The NYPD should be willing and able to tell us what information they are gathering," she said. "What are they doing with it? Are they holding onto it forever? Who has access to it? Are they safeguarding the information?" 

Lawyer and cyber-security expert Adam Wandt, an associate professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the law is clear about using such technology.

"When people are posting on an open platform, there's really no expectation of privacy," Wandt said. "This is not new technology that's being used and the NYPD is doing nothing more than looking at a social media platform."

Haberfeld added, "If you are concerned about your privacy, don't use the app."