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Once a police department has access to Ring’s portal, officers can use it to request video footage from local Ring camera owners. The request email uses a template largely written by Ring, although police specify the time frame and geographic area they are looking for, as well as add a custom message. Police don’t need to obtain a warrant to send a request, and citizens aren’t under any legal obligation to hand over their recordings. But Ring doesn’t always remind customers of that fact. In one request from May, sent by police in Bloomfield, Ring starts by informing people that “Sharing videos is absolutely your choice. ” In another message sent by El Monte police in June, that explicit disclosure wasn’t present. Instead, the email says, “If you would like to take direct action against crime in your community, this is a great opportunity. ”As internet connected camera technology has gotten cheaper and easier to use, Ring became just one of a number of consumer surveillance companies to partner with police. Flock, which makes license plate readers targeted toward groups like homeowners associations, has similarly touted its relationship with law enforcement, for example. Many of the details of how these corporations assist police remain secret. Ring wouldn’t disclose exactly how many police departments it is working with.