Cops could get owner’s Ring camera video without permission until now. Fresno police react
Law enforcement officers have had easy access to doorbell cameras without having to ask for the owner’s permission until a recent change that police in Fresno County have bemoaned.
Amazon Ring announced beginning in February it will no longer turn video over to police without a warrant or subpoena.
Some extreme cases that include crimes like kidnapping or attempted homicide will still allow access to officers, Ring has said.
Police can of course use the traditional method of going door-to-door and asking homeowners directly for their surveillance camera footage.
But, before this change, police were able to get the footage by going around homeowners and asking Ring directly online through an app called “Neighbors” connected to 2,500 police agencies.
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said on X, previously known as Twitter, officers need to be able to investigate crimes quickly and getting warrants can slow police work.
“This is highly disappointing and detrimental to the investigation of violent crimes,” he said. “(Fresno Police Department) depends highly on the cooperation of citizens and companies, such as this one, to help us solve crime in our communities. What is the point to having technology if police are delayed access to useful videos?”
Ring did not explain the reason why it would end the policy when announcing the change on its blog.
The update is the latest restriction Ring made to police activity on the app following concerns raised by privacy watchdogs about the company’s relationship with law enforcement departments across the country.
Critics have stressed the proliferation of these relationships — and users’ ability to report what they see as suspicious behavior — can change neighborhoods into a place of constant surveillance and lead to more instances of racial profiling.
In a bid to increase transparency, Ring changed its policy in 2021 to make police requests publicly visible through its Neighbors app. Previously, law enforcement agencies were able to send Ring owners who lived near an area of an active investigation private emails requesting video footage.
“Now, Ring hopefully will altogether be out of the business of platforming casual and warrantless police requests for footage to its users,” Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in a statement.
Clovis police said investigators have used the app twice to request video, but neither time was provided any video. Officers typically speak to homeowners directly to obtain video.
“Our department will continue to directly contact our residents instead of Ring when trying to gather evidence, because we believe our residents are just as determined as we are to keep our Clovis community safe,” Clovis police said on Facebook account.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
