AKRON, Ohio — Some people in Akron can sign up for free Ring doorbell cameras right now, but there are criteria to meet and conditions to sign off on.
Some residents don’t trust the new safety program, while others say they can’t afford it.
Verdon Giles not only does the yard work but watches over his mom’s house.
“If I want a camera, I’ll figure out a way to hook it up myself,” Giles said.
Giles said he doesn’t trust the city of Akron’s doorbell camera safety pilot project.
It covers three Wards and four high-crime zip codes.
But only homes with working internet are allowed, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
"I’m highly suspicious because, one, it's unsolicited, and find out it's hidden costs they try to tell you it's free when it's not,” Giles said.
The cameras are free, but there’s a cost homeowners or renters are responsible for.
"The data storage cost — we were told it was $4. I have a Ring camera. The service I have was a little bit more, so maybe we're getting a discount. But the city is not covering that — the resident has to cover that,” Akron City Councilman Russel Neal said.
While Councilman Neal says he understands the need for the project with increased crime, the city should find a way to cover the costs.
Neal says that could be a challenge for those on a fixed income.
"Some of the areas where we have the highest amounts of crime, residents may not have the infrastructure and they may not have internet,” Neal said.
News 5 Investigators spoke with people in Ward 4, one of the included Wards.
“I think it's a great idea because some people get away with things, but having it on camera, you can't get away with it,” Annalisa Anderson said.
But Anderson points to a better option for her. She lives on a fixed income.
"It’'s only $20, that's what it was, and there's no monthly fee, and it's battery operated too, so affordable, it's very affordable,” Anderson said.
She added her own camera a few years ago. She’s lived in Ward 4 for nearly 13 years.
"Two people have died around the corner; someone got shot, then another guy got shot. Then another girl,” Anderson said.
It isn’t just about the cost for Verdon.
"Hackers gaining access to it. Is it watching me everything I do or just, you know, keeping my property safe?” Giles said.
News 5 asked a Case Western Reserve University professor about the language in the terms and conditions — specifically, a line about “not obstructing or objecting to a footage request as long as police reasonably believe it’s necessary for an actual or potential felony."
Law professor Raymond Ku says the language will certainly cause problems and leaves open the question of who determines when the request is reasonable.
"We're stepping into new territory — infringement on someone's rights, because that camera's going to catch everything that comes in and out, and so there's going to have to be some discretion used,” Councilman Neal said.
The city of Akron did not provide anyone to answer our questions today.
The project is for 460 homes that are eligible in Wards 3, 4 and part of 5.
Applications are now being accepted, first come first serve, through July 14. Click here for more information and to apply.
If you’re approved, the cameras will be given out in early August at designated distribution sites.
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