Video Doorbells Become First Lines Of Defense For Home Security In Local Neighborhood

PICO UNION (CBSLA.com) —  A Santa Monica-based company has partnered with the Los Angeles Police Department to reduce home burglaries in a local neighborhood. And police said it has been effective.

Ring makes smart doorbells with security cameras that enable users to monitor and protect their property from anywhere via their mobile devices.

After noticing a spike in home burglaries in the Wilshire Park community, Ring donated video doorbells to residents there to help them keep an eye on their homes as part of a pilot program called 'Ring Neighborhoods.'

Six months after the high-tech peepholes were installed, "That neighborhood had a significant reduction of burglaries, approximately 55 percent," Los Angeles police Capt. Vito Palazzolo said.

Moreover, none of the residents who had a Ring video doorbell installed reported a burglary, according to Ring.

Robbie O'Donell is among 50 homeowners who received the smart doorbells.

"If I'm out walking, I would know that you had rung my doorbell. I would talk to you through my phone, and you wouldn't know whether I was here looking at you or 50 miles away," O'Donell said.

She credited the device for alerting her to a man going through her porch one day. Police said others were able to ward off potential intruders as well since they had the special doorbells put in.

Users are alerted when the device's motion sensors detect movement on their property or when someone rings the doorbell. The resident can see and speak to whoever is at their door via their mobile device, giving the illusion that the person is home, even when they are not.

Ring said it will look to implement similar programs in neighborhoods around the country.