Can Police Obtain Video Footage from Doorbell Cameras Without a Warrant?

 Posted on July 28, 2022 in Criminal Defense

Due to the availability of modern technology, people are under near-constant surveillance. Security cameras, traffic cameras, or other devices may capture footage of people in commercial buildings or other public places, and this footage may be turned over to law enforcement in cases where crimes allegedly occurred. However, more and more people are using cameras around their homes that may capture footage of others, including doorbell cameras produced by Ring (a subsidiary of Amazon) and other manufacturers. Recently, privacy advocates and those who are concerned about the overreach of law enforcement have raised concerns about when police may access footage from these cameras and how this footage may be used as evidence in criminal cases.

Amazon May Release Ring Doorbell Footage to Police Without Owners’ Consent

Doorbell cameras capture footage in a variety of situations, including when people activate a doorbell or when they are walking near a home. Law enforcement officials may believe that this footage may be helpful to identify people accused of committing crimes, and footage may also be used as evidence in a criminal case. However, police usually need to obtain a warrant before they can access footage, although they may also secure evidence with the permission of a doorbell camera’s owner.

Amazon has stated that it has policies in place to ensure that police can only access footage from Ring doorbells if they receive permission from users or if they obtain a warrant. However, inquiries from Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts revealed that Amazon may provide footage to law enforcement without permission from users in emergency situations. Unfortunately, the specific situations that may be considered emergencies have not been detailed aside from stating that they may involve the “imminent danger of death or serious physical injury.” Amazon also failed to detail its decision-making procedures in these matters, and it stated that these types of requests by law enforcement have been granted 11 times in 2022 alone.

These policies have raised significant concerns about when and how law enforcement may be able to access people’s private information and use doorbell camera footage as evidence in criminal cases. Even in non-emergency situations, Amazon has made it easy for law enforcement to request access to footage by providing a portal in which police officers can send requests to users. Amazon has also stated that it has partnered with over 2,000 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to allow them to make these types of requests. Because these policies bypass the usual legal procedures that law enforcement needs to follow to obtain evidence, privacy and criminal justice advocates have raised concerns about whether easy access to footage may violate people’s rights in criminal cases.

Contact Our Connecticut Criminal Law Attorney

At Woolf Law Firm, LLC, we understand that many criminal cases are based on evidence obtained by law enforcement. We work to protect our clients’ rights and ensure that evidence that was obtained illegally will not be admissible in court. We can help defendants determine the best defense strategies that will allow them to resolve their cases successfully. Contact our Hartford criminal defense lawyer at 860-290-8690 to arrange a free consultation and learn more about how we can help with your case.

Sources:

https://theintercept.com/2022/07/13/amazon-ring-camera-footage-police-ed-markey/

https://theintercept.com/2021/02/16/lapd-ring-surveillance-black-lives-matter-protests/

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/tech/amazon-ring-police-footage/index.html