University Place's Police Department Deploys Ring’s Neighbors App

Press release from the City of University Place:

May 9, 2020

To support our commitment to proactive community-based policing, the U.P. Police Department has been looking for a platform that will enable us to communicate directly with citizens regarding real-time crime and safety concerns.

We believe we have found the right tool with Ring’s Neighbors App. This free app is available to everyone, not just Ring customers. It allows residents to share information with each other about activity in their neighborhoods and creates a means of communicating that information directly to us.

The process is simple: when you download the app, you provide your address and create your “neighborhood” by expanding a grid around it. Based on those parameters, you will receive an alert when posts are made regarding that defined neighborhood.

This is another way we can share information on incidents that have occurred and solicit the public’s help in solving crimes. If your neighborhood is in the area where a crime occurred, we may request video footage during a specific time frame via a Ring alert. If you are a Ring camera owner, you can directly share any relevant footage you have with us; if you are not a Ring customer you can provide relevant video footage via methods such as email or flash drive, etc.

Please note: the U.P. Police Department does not have access to your cameras. We will simply make requests for footage and you can decide what you want to share. This phone app is not a replacement for calling 911 to report in-progress crimes or to report incidents when you are a victim. And you still need to call the non-emergency dispatch number at 253.798.4721 to file a report.

We are excited to connect with U.P. residents through this new platform and are looking forward to using it to reduce crime and stay connected with our community. The initial feedback we’ve received on this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive and further evidence of how teamwork between police and residents produces the best outcomes in public safety.

If you have general questions about the Ring app, please email the U.P. Police Department directly at UPPublicSafety@CityofUP.com.

This press release was produced by the City of University Place. The views expressed here are the author’s own.