Existing Public Safety Devices

Name Citizen See it, Say it, Send it Nextdoor Neighbors by Ring Ring Video Doorbell ETA Circulo Right to Be (Hollaback) One Scream
Link https://citizen.com/ https://www.seeandsend.info/ https://nextdoor.com/ https://ring.com/neighbors https://ring.com/doorbell-cameras https://whatsmyeta.co/ https://www.circleof6app.com/ https://www.onescream.com/
Description a mobile app: sends users location-based safety alerts in real time. Allows users to read updates about ongoing reports, broadcast live video, and leave comments. Uses radio antennas installed in major cities to monitor 911 communications, with employees filtering the audio to generate alerts. Anyone who downloads the app can securely send pictures and report suspicious activity to state centers run by police and the Department of Homeland Security.
All photos and tips are geotagged, so that they’re routed to the closest security center. This allows police and other public safety personnel to not only receive more tips from the public, but also create specific public alert messages to go out in a geographic area. Typical platform uses include neighbors reporting on news and events in their "neighborhood" and members asking each other for local service-provider recommendations. "Neighborhood" borders were initially established with Maponics, a provider of geographical information.[4] According to the platform's rules, members whose addresses fall outside the boundaries of existing neighborhoods can establish their own neighborhoods.[33][34] "Founding" members of neighborhoods determine the name of the neighborhood and its boundaries, although Nextdoor retains the authority to change either of these.[34] A member must attract a minimum of 10 households to establish a new "neighborhood", as of November 2016. app-based neighborhood watch feature that alerts you to crime and safety events in a radius up to 5 miles around your home. Neighbors is built into the Ring app, which you use with Amazon’s Ring doorbells, Ring cameras, the Ring Alarm system, and even Ring Smart Lights. However, you don’t need any Ring devices to use Neighbors, because the company also offers a standalone Neighbors app. The Ring Video Doorbell is the company's flagship product; it is a smart doorbell that contains a high-definition camera, a motion sensor, and a microphone and speaker for two-way audio communication. It integrates with an associated mobile app, Neighbors, which allows users to view real-time video from the camera, receive notifications when the doorbell is rung, and communicate with visitors at the door via the integrated speaker and microphone. It is also capable of operating as a surveillance camera, and can automatically trigger recordings when rung, or when its motion sensors are activated. tag your usual locations (home, work, the gym, your favorite bar), and it automatically calculates the length of time required to get there. If you happen to be in some random locale, tapping on your hotspot will give you driving directions in a pinch. ETA even works if you choose to walk, rather than drive. Círculo, formerly known as Circle Of 6, lets you create circles of connections (friends, parents, partners) and allows you to share updates about your safety and wellbeing. The end-to-end encrypted app, which doesn’t require your name or phone number to use, is designed to address both online and offline threats or harassment. It is available in both Spanish and English. The Hollaback app is about collecting evidence of street harassment to provide proof to worldwide authorities about the extent of the problem. It takes your location and lets you give details about how you were harassed or what you witnessed happening to somebody else. “By sharing our stories, Hollaback!'s blog reads, we also displace the shame of street harassment off ourselves and onto the perpetrators.” One Scream uses voice activation to connect you with people who can help. If the app is on in the background, it’ll pick up if the user screams. That’ll trigger the app to sound a siren and give the user 20 seconds to cancel it, before sending an automated message with the phone’s location to chosen contacts. If you have an Android, the app will also call a contact after 20 seconds, so they can hear what’s happening.
Pros Community-run, Faster than waiting on the police… snap a picture and report suspicious behavior than waiting for hours for law enforcement to arrive. Partnerships with police department, COVID-19, Voting, Disaster Relief. Community-run The service focuses exclusively on public safety, and posts are moderated to remove off-topic content. Great service for anyone who has concerns about crime in their area, be it petty or grand. Its social-app-like feed provides real-time crime and safety alerts from both your neighbors and local police and fire departments in a convenient, helpful way. Security camera from front door that can be accessed through the app - allowing for security both while and away from home ETA useful to alert friends and family of when/where your supposed to be with Share Arrival feature - a speed dial to navigation “+” ICONS CHOOSE YOUR CIRCLE >
Add up to 6 people from your contacts to join your circle. Choose good friends or any trusted adult.
PIN ICON COME GET ME >
Sends a text to your Circle that says:
“Come and get me. I need help getting home safely.” with your GPS coordinates.
PHONE ICON CALL ME >
Sends a text to your Circle that says:
“Call and pretend you need me. I need an interruption.”
CHAT ICON I NEED TO TALK >
Sends a text to your Circle that says: “I need to talk.”
INFORMATION HELPFUL LINKS >
Direct access to information about sexuality, relationships and safety.
PHONE OUT HOTLINES >
Direct access to national hotlines and a specialized hotline of your choice, such as LGBTQ, Spanish-language, etc. based on your personal priorities. does not rely on informing law enforcement. The incidents you can report include not just sexual harassment but also homophobia, transphobia, racism, and other forms of misconduct. You can then add this incident to the map, along with a description if you so choose. If you're in New York City, you can also report the incident to the NYC Council. Handsfree detection that can work from the bottom of your bag, simple UI,…. If you're in danger and cannot reach your phone, A Keyword or your panic scream automatically triggers the app.
Cons The Citizen app has been criticized as "voyeuristic" in addition to substantially increasing the saturation of surveillance in larger cities, especially neighborhoods that have a large minority population. Increases paranoia, makes areas feel more unsafe Reliant on security personnel to release the information that is sent to them, bad UX “Downloaded App and registered. All I see after signing in, is my location on the map! No menu within the app to report anything? Am I the only one?” enabling its users to racially profile people of color. Also has been accused of operating as fear-based media, serving interests of real estate, private security, and police, reaffirming class and racial biases, and spreading conspiracy theories such as the stolen election conspiracy theory and COVID-19 misinformation - Facebook groups do the same thing. The Verge reported that "Nextdoor has struggled to shed its reputation as a 'snitch' app. has received criticism over Ring's partnerships with law enforcement agencies.[7] The Electronic Frontier Foundation stated that apps such as Neighbors "facilitate reporting of so-called 'suspicious' behavior that really amounts to racial profiling."[8] Fight for the Future has considered Ring and Neighbors to be a private surveillance network, backed by partnerships with law enforcement that "undermine our democratic process and basic civil liberties” User tracking: concluded that the Ring doorbell app for Android was sending identifiable personal information– including names, IP addresses, mobile network carriers, persistent IDs and sensor data –to four analytics and marketing companies: Facebook, Mixpanel, AppsFlyer and branch.io. Ring's software did not implement "basic security features", allowing the publication to access a Ring account from IP addresses based in multiple countries without warning the user. No specific safety add-ons… No difference between more popular Google Maps or Apple Maps App design is confusing - requires you to remember specific icons rather than having navigation titles Bad design. Support one another and marks on the map where people experience harassment so that others can avoid those areas Very specific use - for severe situations. There isn’t anything to helps with harassment or varying levels of security
Pricing base utilities are free, add-ons are $19.99/mo Free Free Free $99.99 .99 cents Free Free Free