ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — It’s like a high-tech version of the neighborhood watch program.
St. Johns County is encouraging people to use an app and website that will help investigators track down criminals faster.
When Melanie Treadway of Vilano Beach had her bike stolen last fall, the crime was caught on her Ring doorbell camera.
“I was shocked to see someone walk, full-faced, up to the camera,” she said Wednesday, describing the video of the theft. “Once no one answered, he walked over, picked up the bike, and walked away with it. That’s it! Gone!”
Investigators saw the video, tracked the guy down, and arrested him.
Knowing surveillance video can help identify and catch criminals, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Ring, urging people to use the Neighbors by Ring app and digital platform. It connects people, especially those who have surveillance cameras, with each other and with law enforcement.
You don’t have to have the Ring doorbell to use the Neighbors by Ring app. You just simply upload your own photos or surveillance video to the app, and it notifies law enforcement and your neighbors.
“So we get that information as real-time as possible,” sheriff’s office spokesman Chuck Mulligan said. He says it saves time.
“As St. Johns County continues to grow and the population density increases in our communities, our resources are stretched,” Mulligan noted. “So the amount of time we spend on any given call, the more efficient we become with that, the better off we are to serve our entire community.”
When Treadway heard about the program, she nodded, “That’s awesome! I think it would’ve cut down with time for us too.”
St. Johns County is rolling out the program now. The sheriff’s office is holding community meetings to explain how it works.
- April 10, 2019 at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- April 16, 2019 at Fruit Cove Baptist Church from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- April 23, 2019 at Turning Point Church from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- May 1, 2019 at Riverview Club at The Shores from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
SJSO encourages all HOA Presidents to attend one of these meetings with a list of locations of their current neighborhood watch signs and how many new signs are needed.