Haverhill Police are getting a technology boost to fight crime in real-time though the department’s new partnership with the Neighbors app by Ring, the neighborhood watch-like program to keep communities safe and in contact with local law enforcement.
The city is among the first in the Merrimack Valley to utilize the California-based technology to disseminate messages to residents, Ring public relations coordinator Kaleigh Bueckert-Orme tells WHAV.
Using the free app, residents are able to enter their home or work address and receive text, photo or video alerts of activity within a half-mile to a five-mile radius. Users do not have to have the Ring doorbell to participate in the Neighbors app; any video footage or photos may be uploaded.
Haverhill Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro looks forward to the potential tips and community engagement the app, implemented at no cost to the department, will provide.
“Ring technology will greatly assist the Haverhill Police Department with crime reduction as well keeping the community informed of up-to-date safety and local crime information,” DeNaro told WHAV.
This week alone, area activity on the Ring app included news alerts about the Bond Street chemical fire and a neighbor wondering about the validity of a door-to-door salesman, for example. Ring staff also tells WHAV the app has been used in other cities to locate lost animals.
The Neighbors by Ring app is available on iOS and Android by searching app stores or by texting HAVERHILLMA to 555-888.