Ring, the video doorbell company, has resumed allowing police to request video footage from users, according to The Verge. 

In April, Axon—the law enforcement technology company known for making the Taser—announced a partnership with Ring that enables customers to share “relevant video with law enforcement to help solve crimes faster and safeguard neighborhoods,” as first reported by Business Insider.

This marks a shift from Ring’s previous decision to limit police access. Last year, the company discontinued its “Request for Assistance” feature, which had allowed officers to seek footage through the Neighbors app. At that time, Ring said police could only request footage during “emergencies,” a policy that still permitted footage sharing without a warrant and raised privacy concerns.

Under the new arrangement with Axon, police will be able to request footage through Axon’s digital evidence management system. It’s not yet clear whether these requests will appear in the Neighbors app. Users will have the option to share footage—or not—and any submitted video will be “encrypted and securely added to the case file,” according to Axon. The company also said it will not share details about users who choose not to send footage. According to The Verge, a source told Business Insider that Ring is “exploring a new integration with Axon that would enable livestreaming from Ring devices” with user consent.

Jamie Siminoff, Ring’s founder, returned to Amazon in April to lead teams for Ring, Blink, Amazon Key, and Sidewalk. He stated that the integration supports Ring’s mission to “make neighborhoods safer.”

Ring has faced criticism in the past for reportedly assisting police in persuading users to share video footage, according to a 2019 report from Motherboard, as reported by Vice in 2021. In 2023, Ring paid $5.8 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit that alleged its cameras were used by employees and hackers to illegally spy on users.

Siminoff said in the April announcement, “This integration with Axon will foster a vital connection between our neighbors and public safety agencies in their communities, giving them a way to work together to keep their neighborhoods safe.”

By 2021, Ring had established partnerships with more than 2,000 police and fire departments across nearly every U.S. state.