Pennington County, S.D. – The Rapid City Police Department and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office have partnered with Ring, a popular manufacturer of home security video systems, in order to facilitate the sharing of video evidence with law enforcement. The partnership comes within Ring’s ‘Neighbors’ app, a mobile application that allows Ring users to share information about public safety topics and incidents among other users in their community.

The RCPD and PCSO now have an official presence within the ‘Neighbors’ app. This will allow local law enforcement to send neighborhood-specific requests for video/information from Ring users in specific neighborhoods as it relates to ongoing investigations into criminal incidents. For example, if law enforcement is investigating a series of vehicle burglaries impacting a specific neighborhood, detectives/investigators can send out a request that will alert Ring users in that specific neighborhood to check their security systems for any video of suspicious activity as it relates to the burglary investigation. Participation is at the discretion of the end-user, and law enforcement has no way to obtain video without an end-user voluntarily providing it.

“Officers of the Rapid City Police Department value our ongoing partnership with the residents of our city,” says Captain Andy Becker, Commander of the RCPD’s Criminal Investigation Division. “Video evidence is a regular component of most modern-day criminal investigations, and this partnership through the Ring Neighbors app is one more way we can let the community know how they can assist officers in working to hold criminal offenders who choose to victimize our neighborhoods accountable for their actions.”

“More eyes help solve crime,” says PCSO Captain of Investigations Taylor Sperle. “As more homeowners realize the importance of a security system with easy sharing options to local law enforcement, there will be broader neighborhood benefits. This is another tool to help law enforcement deter and solve crime.”

This Community Request function is specific to Ring video systems and the associated Neighbors app. Should a member of the public wish to report suspicious activity in their neighborhood, they are still encouraged to contact the RCPD or PCSO directly at 911 if it’s an emergency, or at 605-394-4131 if it’s an incident requiring timely law enforcement attention.