PGPD Partners With "Neighbors" by Ring in Effort to Reduce and Solve Crimes by Connecting Citizens & Law Enforcement

The Prince George’s County Police Department is joining the Neighbors app by Ring as part of the department’s continued effort to both prevent and solve crimes. The Neighbors network has millions of users and has been instrumental in catching package thieves, stopping burglaries and helping keep neighborhoods safe across the country. Right now, there are approximately 50,000 residents here in Prince George’s County who are already signed up to the Neighbors app.

Interested residents can download the free Neighbors app (https://download.ring.com/pgpd) and join their particular neighborhood, and then use the app to monitor neighborhood activity; share crime and safety-related videos, photos and other posts. Residents can also learn about safety issues in their neighborhood directly from their neighbors, the PGPD and the Ring team.

“The Neighbors app is a unique way to connect citizens and law enforcement. With the assistance of the Ring team, the app will allow our COPS officers who are assigned to a particular beat to communicate with residents who live there. It will also allow detectives the ability to gather critical information, photos or videos related to an investigation,” said Assistant Chief Hector Velez.

Jamie Siminoff, Chief Inventor and Founder of Ring, said: “We’re excited to have the Prince George’s County Police Department join Neighbors to keep their community up-to-date on local crime and safety information. Over the past few years we have learned that, when neighbors, the Ring team and law enforcement all work together, we can create safer communities. Neighbors is meant to facilitate real-time communication between these groups, while maintaining neighbor privacy first and foremost.”

 

How It Works:

• Download the Neighbors app on iOS and Android here: https://download.ring.com/pgpd or by texting ‘PGPD’ to 555-888 from your smartphone. Residents do not need to own a Ring device to use the Neighbors app.

• Opt-in to join your neighborhood.
• Customize the geographic area you want to receive notifications for (users must verify where they are located and cannot participate in other neighborhoods).
• Receive real-time alerts from your neighbors, local law enforcement and the Ring team that inform of crime and safety alerts as they happen.
• View local crime and safety posts via a live feed or interactive map.
• Share text updates, photos and videos taken on any device

Prince George’s County Assistant Police Chief Hector Velez is spearheading this new partnership on behalf of the PGPD. He is available for media interviews today. Please call the Media Relations Division at 301-772-4710 to schedule an interview. Members of the media who are interested in speaking with a representative from the Neighbors app can call Morgan Culbertson at 805-822-9694.