The Cottonwood Police Department has partnered with a mobile app to help resolve crimes and keep residents up-to-date on safety information.
The department first signed up for the app Neighbors by Ring in June 2020. The app is affiliated with Ring Home Security Systems, a home security alarm system company.
“The Cottonwood Police Department is excited to partner with the Neighbors app by Ring where we can keep the citizens of Cottonwood up-to-date on local crime and safety information,” Cottonwood Police Sgt. Chad Sinn said. “This Neighbors app provides our officers exceptional technology to assist us with investigating crimes.”
The app is designed to allow residents to share photos and videos from their Ring device and receive up-to-date information and alerts from neighbors and local public safety departments.
Sinn said their department decided to join Neighbors as another avenue for interacting with the community and to help resolve incidents reported through the app.
“We joined Neighbors in an effort to continue our mission of finding new ways to connect with community members. This allows the users to share photos, videos and information related to local crime and safety incidents,” he said.
CPD has access to view public posts made on the app and cannot only see photos and videos of potential suspects, but they can also make posts and comments of their own to keep the public updated on relevant cases and share safety alerts to keep residents informed. Residents, in turn, can report crimes, safety concerns, unexpected activity in their neighborhood or lost pets.
“It’s a great tool for anyone who has concerns about crime in their area,” Sinn said.
So far, officers have used the Neighbors app to help resolve mail theft, trespassing and burglary crimes, among others. Most recently, officers used Ring video footage as a tool to help them solve a vehicle burglary case in which a wallet was stolen from a car. The victim in the case provided the video to law enforcement to help them locate the suspect, a male juvenile who was caught and charged for the alleged crime.
Sinn reiterated that while the app can be a valuable tool when it comes to fighting crime in the local community, they still encourage the public to report criminal activity to the police department by calling dispatch at 634-4246.
Ownership of a Ring device is not required to join Neighbors. To download the app, visit the app store or text “jointoday” to 555888.
