Merrill Park neighborhood residents get free Ring doorbells, agree to share clips with police

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Ring doorbells were installed in one Milwaukee neighborhood Friday as community advocates work to help give residents a sense of security.

Four homes in the Merrill Park neighborhood now have fully operational Ring doorbells. The technology allows homeowners to see who is at their door in real-time, while also recording the movement it senses.

"Most of the time we have to have proof of stuff for anything to get taken care of. That's why I wanted to make sure my home is safe," one Merrill Park homeowner, who chose to remain anonymous, said. "It's very important because I have kids and while they're at home, they do home school, it's easy for me to look at my phone and see who it is coming to ring the doorbell, whether it's the mailman or anybody that's coming."

The cost of the doorbells and installation was covered by the Near West Side Partners (NWSP). The initiative is called "Lights, Camera, Action," allowing people in the Merrill Park neighborhood to request cameras for their homes.

The group has given these doorbells to residents before, but this was the first time they were able to visit the homes and oversee the installation process.

"Sometimes they can be installed and not be programmed correctly. So, we're making sure that they're there and they're properly operating," Safety and Outreach Manager for Near West Side Partners Bobby McQuay said.

The recordings are also potential sources of evidence for local prosecutors.

"If [police] are out here and investigating they know they can come to a home, they can view that footage, they can see what it captured and it can give investigative leads," Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County Kelly O'Neill said. "In the end, if I am in a courtroom and I'm prosecuting this case I can use that video to show what happened. Or [use] those pieces of evidence to build that puzzle."

The program, which is a partnership between the NWSP, the District Attorney's office and Milwaukee Police, requires residents to cooperate by sharing footage from the doorbells should investigators request it.

For NWSP, this is a step in the right direction for Milwaukee.

"It's not the end all to be all but it offers residents a sense of comfort and safety," McQuay said.

The Ring doorbells and installation were free. Residents are tasked with paying the $4 a month charge for cloud storage for the clips recorded on the doorbell. To learn more about the NWSP, visit their website