The New York Police Department is a member of Ring Neighbors. The NYPD will be able to see people's posts on Neighbors and be able to post directly to it, as a result of the partnership.
Residents of a neighborhood can discuss crime and safety with one another through Neighbors, an extension of Ring's security camera business. Many law enforcement departments have joined Neighbors in the past, but this is the first time it has been adopted by America's largest police force. Ring footage could be requested separately by the police. It's part of an increasingly tight integration between Amazon and police, one that raises both concerns about privacy and questions about its crime-solving value
Ring partnerships included some departments where officers received free cameras and were encouraged to recommend them to others. Amazon ended that program after it was revealed. The number had doubled by the year 2021. The NYPD will not monitor the app around the clock, but it will be able to see crime and safety reports from the app's users.
Over the years, Amazon has made it harder for police to use Neighbors, and it no longer allows private requests for footage from users. The app is trying to mitigate its reputation for fearmongering by encouraging people to show good deed. Civil liberties advocates are concerned because citizen reports can reflect racial biases. The NYPD continues to be shadowed by a decade-long campaign against Muslims. The two will work together in the next week.
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