LYNN — Local nonprofit Stop the Violence is putting money toward purchasing Ring video-surveillance doorbells, which they hope to have installed throughout the city as part of an effort to decrease crime in targeted neighborhoods.
Ward 6 Councilor and Co-founder of Stop the Violence Fred Hogan said the organization has determined areas for doorbell installation as places in the city where the last 40 gunshots had occurred.
The organization has its eye on homeowners and two-family houses in high-crime neighborhoods, as potential recipients of the Ring doorbells.
The doorbells will be given to residents free of charge — save for a small operation fee — and a group of volunteers will install them. Stop the Violence ordered 32 doorbells, which cost $150 each, on Wednesday, and are planning to install them next week. Hogan said they have enough funds to order 96 units, which they hope to do by the end of the year.
The Ring doorbells purchased are solar powered, have no wires, and work by connecting to the Wi-Fi.
Upon installation of the doorbells, the homeowners will have to sign a contract stating that they will pay the $3 per month, or $30 per year, to keep the units operational.
“This is an awesome program and will really benefit the community,” Hogan said.
Ring doorbells also has an app, Neighbors, which allows owners to send out alerts when something happens — such as a shooting, a coyote sighting or a missing dog. The app allows for online social sharing of captured footage among users and incorporates a radius to search from and view alerts; anyone can download the app to view community activity.
Stop the Violence will also track which streets have Ring doorbells installed with a color-coded map. By using the map, the organization will be able to access camera footage of crimes in the community. The doorbells store video on a hard drive for two months.
Hogan said that on his street last Christmas, his neighbor’s Playstation was stolen out of the home. Hogan, who has a Ring doorbell, said the doorbell was able to capture footage of the robber, which allowed police to identify and track down the suspect. The thief was found, and Hogan said his neighbor got his Playstation back.
“This is just really something that will help protect the neighborhoods,” Hogan said. “Eventually we’d love to have one on every street in the city.”
Stop the Violence received its largest-ever donation of $20,000 in March and received another $5,000 from the A.W. Perry real estate firm on Wednesday. Hogan said these contributions made efforts like the Ring doorbells possible.
