Starting Monday, residents in specific areas of the city can apply to receive free Ring doorbell cameras. The City of Daytona Beach is giving away 150 doorbell cameras to senior citizens living in commission zones 2, 3 and 5.
Eligible citizens must:
- Be at least 65 years of age
- Have WiFi network at their residence
- Have a smartphone
- Pay the annual subscription for the monitoring service ($3 a month or $30 per year)
- Attend a training class offered by the Daytona Beach Police Department
- Agree to share any surveillance video with law enforcement, in the event of a crime in their neighborhood
- Must not already have a doorbell camera device
The initiative is funded by Commissioners Ken Strickland, Quanita May and Dannette Henry using their allocation of federal ARPA funds.
Ring doorbell cameras are well-known for identifying porch pirates in the act, as well as break-in thieves. The devices also allow users to scare away unwelcome visitors by talking to them through the device after getting a smartphone alert about activity at their front door.