MELBOURNE, Fla. — The Melbourne Police Department is considering a new partnership to help fight crime.

Deal would allow Melbourne police to use Ring Neighbors app

Post safety alerts, request video from users

Ring, Melbourne, says police cannot access devices

The agency could become the latest in Brevard County to partner with the popular video doorbell company, Ring. Melbourne city leaders were set to take up the issue Tuesday night.

The agreement with Melbourne Police and Ring would allow police to access videos posted by Ring customers on the Neighbors app for their investigations.

The Indian Harbour Beach Police Department was the first agency in Brevard County to have the agreement. Indian Harbour Beach Police Detective Eric Thompson says the agreement does not mean police can look at residents' Ring video whenever they want.

“People think we can view peoples' doorbells without their permission, we cannot," Thompson said. "The only thing I can do is request video. I can go on the app and drop a geo-net and request video.”

The Neighbors app is a free app provided by Ring that people can use to post and view information, like a virtual neighborhood watch.

When law enforcement agencies enter into an arrangement with Ring, officers can post safety alerts on the app and also view and comment on public posts as identified law enforcement.

They also have access to a video request tool to request footage from device owners.

According to a Ring spokesperson, law enforcement cannot obtain users’ location or access devices. They only have access to what is publicly posted on the Neighbors app.

According to the city of Melbourne, this access does not cost the city any money. According to the memorandum of understanding between Melbourne Police and Ring , there will be no compensation on either side.

Although people are quick to post videos of crimes recorded on their smart doorbells, Thompson says many go unreported to law enforcement.

“There's multiple times I've seen video of suspicious activities that were posted that should have been reported to law enforcement,” said Thompson.

Through the app, law enforcement can send notifications to users if there is an emergency, and users remain anonymous.

Ring says there are 405 agencies using the neighbors portal, including Palm Bay, since August of this year.​