The Gwinnett County Police Department is partnering with the Neighbors app by Ring to provide the Gwinnett County community with real-time, local safety information and as a new tool to deter and investigate crime. Under an agreement approved by the Board of Commissioners on May 7, the department will be able to join existing crime and safety conversations with local residents at the neighborhood level already happening on the Neighbors app.

Once they have officially joined the app, Gwinnett County police will be able to send out real-time crime and safety alerts and request potentially valuable photos, videos and information from community members already on Neighbors when investigating an incident in a particular area.

Residents do not need the Ring security system to be a part of the Neighbors app network and can simply download the app for free in order participate from their smartphone. And unlike other social media-type networks, Ring is solely crime and safety focused and allows residents to post, comment, and engage anonymously.

Gwinnett Police Chief Butch Ayers said, “This agreement will allow the Gwinnett County Police Department to engage the community with a tool that can assist in solving crimes, help in reporting suspicious activities, and provide timely notifications by residents of potential safety concerns in their neighborhoods.”

Police will not have access to cameras, live footage, or user data.  Law enforcement can only view content posted by users to the Neighbors app or that users have decided to share with them directly in response to a specific request.

Gwinnett County Police Department will meet with neighborhood groups that are designated COPS communities to discuss the Neighbors crime watch app. Residents of these neighborhoods will be able to download the app and be entered into a raffle to win a doorbell video camera. One device will be raffled per COPS community. The Gwinnett County Police Department will offer assistance to donated device recipients who request help installing their device at a later date.