Doorbell cams have become key law enforcement tools
Bottom Line: Once upon a time, home-based camera systems were rare and expensive. These days many options exist that are affordable and have become prevalent. None more so than Ring. Research firm Strategy Analytics is out with the latest study of home-based camera systems and the numbers are huge.
In just over six months, entering 2020, 22 million homes will be using at least one home-based camera device (most commonly a doorbell cam). There are 127 million households in the US. That includes all apartments and multi-home units. That means that nearly one in five homes will using some type of surveillance camera, and that’s only expected to rapidly grow in years to come. That’s in part due to many communities now providing doorbell cams for free to aid law enforcement.
Fifty cities have specifically partnered with Ring. They range from cities as large as Houston to as small as Hammond, Indiana. In some instances, the cities have offered Ring doorbells to homeowners for free – provided they help law enforcement with captured footage if needed. The ease of sharing the videos along with the perception of added security for homeowners has made this a win-win for these communities. A 2017 study conducted by the LAPD determined that Ring doorbells reduced the likelihood of a crime by 50%.
With stats like that and many cities getting on board with these programs as well – it's likely not going to be long before we’re all watching everyone around us all of the time. Hopefully with a lot less crime.