MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – The Mount Pleasant Police Department has partnered with Ring in an effort to make neighborhoods safer.

Wednesday, MPD announced that it is joining the free Neighbors app by Ring to provide the Mount Pleasant community with real-time, local crime and safety information.

The Neighbors network already has millions of users and has been instrumental in catching package thieves, stopping burglaries, and keeping neighborhoods safe.

“People sometimes don’t always support suspicious activity or somebody that might have gone by or they may not know their neighbor’s car got broken into, but if we have that type of knowledge and being able to see that video from these neighborhoods, it’s definitely going to help reduce crime and open communication in another way that we are not already doing,” Inspector Chip Googe with MPD said.

Residents can text ‘mpsc’ to 555888 from their smartphone to download the Neighbors app for free on iOS and Android and use the app to; join their neighborhood, share crime and safety-related videos, photos and text-based posts; and receive real-time safety alerts from their neighbors, local law enforcement and the Ring team.

Police will not have open access to a homeowner’s photos or videos. They can only access them with the homeowner’s permission.

Police Chief Carl Ritchie said, “We are excited about our partnership with the Neighbors App by Ring! This program will allow us to exchange information with residents anonymously and in an innovative way to further reduce crime in Mount Pleasant. Community engagement is a key factor in crime prevention and this endeavor gives us another opportunity to strengthen our communications efforts.”

Jamie Siminoff, Chief Inventor and Founder of Ring, said: “We’re excited to have the Mount Pleasant Police Department join Neighbors to keep their community up-to-date on local crime and safety information. Over the past few years we have learned that, when neighbors, the Ring team and law enforcement all work together, we can create safer communities. Neighbors is meant to facilitate real-time communication between these groups, while maintaining neighbor privacy first and foremost. By bringing security to every neighbor with the free Neighbors app, the Mount Pleasant community can stay on top of crime and safety alerts as they happen.”

Text ‘mpsc’ to 555-888 or click here: https://download.ring.com/mountpleasant from your smartphone to download the app for free on iOS and Android.

How It Works

• Opt-in to join your neighborhood.
• Customize the geographic area you want to receive notifications for (users must verify where they are located and cannot participate in other neighborhoods).
• Receive real-time alerts from your neighbors, local law enforcement and the Ring team that informs of crime and safety alerts as they happen.
• View local crime and safety posts via a live feed or interactive map.
• Share text updates, photos and videos taken on any device, including Ring’s home security devices.
• Work with your community to make neighborhoods safer.