Ring Once Gave Free Cameras to 100 Los Angeles Police Officers (latimes.com) 31
"In a bid to bolster its claims as a crime-fighting tool, Ring deployed a tactic popular in the business world: influencer marketing," reports the Los Angeles Times. "It selected a cadre of brand ambassadors, rewarded them with free gadgets and discount codes, and urged them to use their connections to promote the Santa Monica security camera startup via word of mouth.
"In this case, the brand ambassadors were Los Angeles Police Department officers." "You are killing it, by the way. Your code has 14 uses, eleven more and I will be sending you every device that we sell," a Ring employee wrote to one officer in a 2016 email. "Do you have any community meetings or crime prevention fairs coming up?"
Ring provided at least 100 LAPD officers with one or more free devices or discount codes and encouraged them to recommend the company's web-connected doorbells and security cameras, emails reviewed by The Times reveal. In more than 15 cases, emails show that officers who received free gadgets or discounts promoted Ring products to fellow police officers or members of the public... [P]articipating officers got tens of thousands of dollars' worth of free and discounted electronics and helped establish a network of personal surveillance cameras that the LAPD could tap into with much less red tape than the typical means of obtaining video.
The practice, privacy and criminal justice experts warn, raises the question of whether LAPD officers were serving the public in their interactions with Ring, or if they were serving a private business and themselves...
It's unclear whether LAPD officers disclosed their arrangements with Ring to the public or fellow officers.
"In this case, the brand ambassadors were Los Angeles Police Department officers." "You are killing it, by the way. Your code has 14 uses, eleven more and I will be sending you every device that we sell," a Ring employee wrote to one officer in a 2016 email. "Do you have any community meetings or crime prevention fairs coming up?"
Ring provided at least 100 LAPD officers with one or more free devices or discount codes and encouraged them to recommend the company's web-connected doorbells and security cameras, emails reviewed by The Times reveal. In more than 15 cases, emails show that officers who received free gadgets or discounts promoted Ring products to fellow police officers or members of the public... [P]articipating officers got tens of thousands of dollars' worth of free and discounted electronics and helped establish a network of personal surveillance cameras that the LAPD could tap into with much less red tape than the typical means of obtaining video.
The practice, privacy and criminal justice experts warn, raises the question of whether LAPD officers were serving the public in their interactions with Ring, or if they were serving a private business and themselves...
It's unclear whether LAPD officers disclosed their arrangements with Ring to the public or fellow officers.
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"Police get free donuts and coffee. So we should never buy these."
Why not? If some police are promoting these X brand of coffee and donuts in exchange for free X coffee and donuts.
"it is only an issue for those who believe the average cop is a security expert."
So you agree it's an issue when they're on duty or acting in a position where their job title is relevant.
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Sometimes rarely police are offered free food. Not always -- free food is expensive, and it doesn't necessarily make sense for businesses to do so, nor should they have to --- they already pay their taxes. Sometimes the police got a bit upset [youtube.com] about not getting free gifts.
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Ring = Google, right? That's reason enough not to trust them with my privacy.
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Ring = Amazon [slashdot.org]
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Slightly less bad, but still bad.
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Anti-corruption/conflict of interest laws (Score:4, Interesting)
The practice is also against the law in many states and municipalities. At the state level, it does look like there's a law in California that may apply, but it seems to only be public employees that influence public policy, though it seems that the city of LA may have a more restrictive law that could apply here [lapdonline.org].
This is on Ring, not the cops (Score:2)
In this instance I don't blame the cops. The police understandably view everything through a myopic "can this make catching bad guys easier?" filter. Amazon knows that and is playing them like a fiddle.
The myopic viewpoint of the police is also why effective civilian oversight is crucial - and appears to not be happening in Santa Barbara.
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Getting free stuff could be seen as receiving a bribe, and they get training about that sort of thing.
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Rule of Acquisition #98: Every man has his price.
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True, but they are supposed to have the integrity top say no to potential bribes.
Which part of Rule of Acquisition #98 are you not clear on?
Why would civilians not want this (Score:1)
The myopic viewpoint of the police is also why effective civilian oversight is crucial - and appears to not be happening in Santa Barbara.
I honestly do not get what the issue is with giving cops Ring cameras.
Where do you think they are going to install them? They are going to install them at home right, where they could be potentially used by other police a well... so police using ring cameras in their own homes shows more a trust in that system than anything, and not a case of wanting civilians to have ca
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If Amazon were only giving police cameras, that would be OK; but they're also giving police discount codes from which the police get compensated whenever anyone uses their code. Amazon is effectively using police as commissioned salesmen and taking advantage of being recommended by police to unduly influence consumers.
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t they're also giving police discount codes from which the police get compensated whenever anyone uses their code.
So what? I don't care if cops have side hustles.
I really don't care if we slather ads all over cops ala Nascar. Who cares???
Some police recommend some gun products as well, I have never seen an issue with that either.
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They should never accept gifts (Score:4, Interesting)
Even the appearance of favoritism undermines their work.
It was an honest police department that responded to a nut with a gun at one of my former workplaces. I heard from a cafeteria worker that when the officers rotated off the front lines for refreshments, they refused the free-by-standard-company-policy sodas. The cashiers had to call over a manager to invent a price and charge them.
That's how seriously they took their agency's no-gifts policy.
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Because they are not buying them, they are receiving them as a free gift, and they only receive these free gifts because the vendor is seeking to exploit the privileged position they are in.
Most police departments have strict anti bribery laws for this exact reason. Some you can't even give a cop a coffee because they would have to declare it as a gift.
Security WTF? (Score:2)
Its clear that the Ring network is headed in a dystopian direction.
If you want to do business with the government then you can't be using a large part of the Chinese made gear on the market:
https://www.acquisition.gov/fa... [acquisition.gov]
Ring certainly isn't better for the average person. What is? Are there any not-hacked from the factory and not-cloud connected IP cameras?
Re: dystopian direction (Score:2)
Dystopia is situational. I've never had property stolen by police while self and wife separately defended ourselves (without having to shoot) using firearms.
Humanity is evil, the world is a nasty savage idiot shithole with a weak veneer of what we call civilized behavior, and it is often wise to protect oneself using all resources at hand.
I have no love for cops but on the REAL threat list they're trivial for me while protecting MY (not anyone else's unless they own property or rent therein) neighborhood is
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> Self-defense is not dystopian, it's sociophilic! The bad must be fought without mercy to protect those of us who are good, and wise men know the difference.
Yeah, still not signing up for mass surveillance. Happy to have surveillance and keep it to myself.
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An ex had a minibike stolen by cops, or at least the cop knew about it. Cop called to tell them he didn't steal it before they filed a report. The cops are a gang of criminals.
In the old days (Score:1)
In the old days giving the Police or any other Government employee "free" stuff was called corruption, the line was simple and easy to understand, as it should be.
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In the old days giving the Police or any other Government employee "free" stuff was called corruption, the line was simple and easy to understand, as it should be.
It's only corruption if the Gifts are influencing or seeking to affect the outcome of official government decisions.
Sounds like they are only attempting to get people who are Police to try their products so they will be aware of them and possibly suggest their products towards other consumers -- People look towards police as experts regarding cr
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Then the cameras should stand on their own merits and Amazon shouldn't be giving police discount codes that provide kickbacks whenever someone used those codes. That doesn't lend itself to unbiased recommendations.
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Then the cameras should stand on their own merits and Amazon shouldn't be giving police discount codes
That's not "standing on their merits": It just kind of makes more sense if every device manufacturer wants to send samples for law enforcement to try out --- They can all do it and stand on their merits... Manufacturers do such things all the time It's not any kind of exclusive thing that only Amazon is able to do.
Amazon may have found the codes may be necessary to get police aware of their existence a
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"influencer marketing" (Score:2)