Cops Are Behind City's Free Doorbell Cameras

A San Jose suburb's new crime-fighting initiative starts at the front door. The city of Milpitas, dubbed the "Crossroads of Silicon Valley," has approved $60,000 to hand out free video doorbells to residents, one per household, on a first-come, first-served basis—part of an effort officials say is aimed at deterring crime and tightening ties between the community and police, per the Guardian. Assistant police chief Tyler Jamison says officers won't have automatic access to anyone's footage; residents would choose whether to upload video via a police-provided link. "This door camera initiative is about strengthening crime prevention right where it matters most—at home," city councilmember Evelyn Chua told Milpitas Beat.

The program was unanimously approved at a March 17 meeting where Jamison presented council with several options, per the San Francisco Chronicle. While the council initially weighed Amazon's Ring camera—already embedded in many departments nationwide—Milpitas opted for a different brand to avoid subscription costs. Staff recommended cameras with similar capabilities but noted that, without Ring's direct connection to police software, investigators may need to request clips via social media. The move comes as doorbell cameras, and Ring in particular, face mounting criticism from privacy advocates who warn they can effectively turn neighborhoods into ad hoc surveillance networks.