Rocky Mount installs doorbell cameras in high-crime neighborhoods

City leaders say they hope crime will drop if people know someone’s always watching.

“People were all over it, man,” said TJ Walker, Rocky Mount's city council representative for Ward 4, “It tells me people want to be safe.”

The program launched Thursday, beginning with six homes.​

“We had a number of people really call and complain about rising crime, and asking what could we do about it," said Rocky Mount's mayor Sandy Roberson.

“One of the things we were kind of brainstorming about was maybe we can use technology to assist our police force," said Roberson.

The security company ADT donated the six cameras to the city’s effort, and Walker chose the homes where the cameras would be installed.

“I just reached out to people to see who was willing to have the doorbell cameras placed in their homes, and who felt like they would benefit for public safety issues,” Walker said. “People were really excited about it.”

One of the homeowners with a new doorbell cam is Anthony Cunningham, who recently moved to Rocky Mount from New York City.

“I feel really great to have a camera in front of my house,” Cunningham said. “I feel safer. I feel that you can see what’s going on.”

Cunningham said the program would help his home feel secure even when he wasn’t there.

“When you’re at work, or at your business, you need extra eyes when you’re not around,” Cunningham said. “And you want to feel safer in your community.”

Roberson's ultimate goal is for Rocky Mount to have a citywide network of connected doorbell cams to monitor crime continuously.