Amazon has partnered with over 200 law enforcement agencies to use its Ring home surveillance system

Hundreds of police departments across the U.S. have partnered with Amazon to use its brand of home security devices as local surveillance networks. According to a report from Vice, documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request detail at least 200 partnerships between Amazon's security company Ring and local law enforcement agencies. The number -- taken from notes made in an email that were transcribed from a Ring representative -- is the first hard piece of data on how many departments are working with the company. Partnerships between Amazon and police departments are far more prolific than previously though according to a new report that details 200 collaborations across the U.S. Previous attempts to quantify the extent of the collaboration have estimated around three dozen direct partnerships -- a number that is clearly well below actual figures. Partnerships between the agencies and Amazon usually involve the company donating its compact security cameras -- which are often fixed to a person's door -- and then equipping them with a'neighborhood portal.'