Ring gets rid of tool allowing police to request doorbell video, Richmond Police responds

Our Take

Credit to WRIC 8News for tracking how Richmond PD is reacting to Ring's decision to sunset its 'Request for Assistance' feature, the tool that let officers blast out public pleas for doorbell footage through the Neighbors app. This is a real win for the handful of advocates who've spent years pointing out that a police department shouldn't be able to crowdsource surveillance from your neighbors without any warrant, oversight, or paper trail. Public pressure worked here, and that matters.

But let's not pop champagne yet. Ring still hands over footage when police show up with a warrant or in 'emergency' situations Amazon itself gets to define, and Amazon's broader law enforcement partnerships haven't disappeared, they've just gotten quieter and less visible to the public. Killing one PR-friendly tool doesn't touch the deeper problem: a growing patchwork of private cameras that police lean on as a free, always-on evidence network.

And doorbells are just one piece of it. While Ring backs off a feature that at least required someone to ask, automated license plate readers like Flock Safety don't ask anyone anything, they scan, log, and store your movements by default, no request needed, no consent involved. That's the fight that actually matters right now. Check our camera map to see what's watching your street, and hit take action if you want to push back on your local council before more of these systems get bolted to the poles.