Fort Myers police partners with video doorbell company Ring

Local neighborhoods became safer this week, as Fort Myers Police Department has partnered with Ring Monday.

FMPD can access the app to view homeowner surveillance video and ultimately catch crooks in the act.

“There’s so many things that happen around the neighborhoods,” Adriana White said.

Police are only able to view videos what a homeowner uploads to the app.

“Having the sticker, the Ring sticker, on the window actually helps keep people away,” White said.

Adriana White got her Ring doorbell in December 2018 after porch pirates stole her packages.

“You can even, if you’re not home, you can talk to them and either tell them to leave a package, or if it’s somebody visiting, it’s like can you come back later,” White said.

The doorbell also automatically begins recording when there is a motion, and homeowners can upload video to a “neighbors app.” This is something FMPD believes will help.

“I think it’s a great idea,” John Martina said. “I mean, there’s so much crime in the neighborhood and the city, that anything we can do to help prevent crime is a positive for me.”

FMPD can also alert neighbors when something is going on in the area.

“I mean, look at what the cameras did in downtown Fort Myers, as an electronic means of monitoring everybody,” Martina said. “And this is just an adjunct to that.”

The police and Ring can also work together to make the doorbell cheaper for neighbors in areas with the most crime.

The app has already been successful in neighboring cities such as Cape Coral, where it has had the partnership since May 2018.

Martina doesn’t have a Ring doorbell at his home, but it’s on his to-do list to buy one.

“I have a wireless … thermostat I mean … and I just got a Google [Home] Hub,” Martina said. “And I want to start connecting everything to the hub and that would be something I would definitely add on.”