Florida Expands Program Giving Doorbell Cameras to Domestic Violence Victims

SARASOTA, FLORIDA — Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the expansion of Project Protect, a program aimed at helping victims of domestic abuse regain “a sense of normalcy and security.”

As of Thursday, Project Protect has been expanded into Manatee and Hardee counties. The program provides free doorbell cameras to victims of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking and sexual violence. 

The cameras provide audio and visual surveillance to help victims identify any potential dangerous or threatening people outside their home. 

“Many times, victims… any time there’s a knock at the door, any time they hear a sound outside, anytime that doorbell rings they are in fear,” Moody said at a press conference on Thursday. “This will provide an extra layer of security and a sense of protection while they are at home, often alone.”

In addition to providing an immediate way of identifying any unwelcome visitors, Moody added that the cameras can provide documentation if an abuser were to violate a court-ordered restraining order.

“Our hope is that these cameras will allow them to continue to feel safe, but also to feel that they would have evidence to prove if the person that has abused them is returning to stalk them, abuse them [or] threaten them,” she said. 

Moody pointed out that in many cases victims continue to suffer abuse even after a court injunction has been issued. 

“They are left looking over their shoulder,” she said. “The fear of being re-victimized can be paralyzing. And that fear can last for years.”

The cameras are purchased through a federal grant via the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). Victims may select a doorbell camera of their choice, up to $100.

A NEW TOOL TO HELP VICTIMS FEEL SAFE

The Attorney General’s office works closely with victim advocates, who guide victims through the legal process and can help them secure a doorbell camera through Project Protect.

“Those victim advocates are heroes,” she said. “We are so proud of the work that they do.”

Moody said the program expansion gives these victim advocates a “new tool” to help victims feel safe.

“Once a camera is provided to a victim, it is the property of that person,” the AG’s press secretary Chase Sizemore told The Florida Standard. “The cameras will operate and record the same as any other doorbell camera.” 

“Our law enforcement partners will be required to follow the law and Constitutional standards required in any investigation when there is potential evidence from one of these cameras,” Sizemore added.

Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller Angel Colonneso applauded the expansion, saying: “My office is sometimes the first line of defense for people affected by domestic violence, and we are grateful to be able to provide Project Protect as another layer of protection to help people affected by domestic violence feel safer at home.”

CRIMES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Nearly one third of the women murdered every year in America are killed by a domestic partner, Moody said, adding that more than 12 million men and women in America are abused in a relationship every year.

“This is a time for us as a community and a state to spotlight a crime that often happens in the dark and the shadows behind closed doors, often under the noses of closest family members of the perpetrator and the victim,” Moody added after recognizing October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Florida law enforcement agencies received over 104,000 reports of domestic violence in 2021, resulting in 63,000 arrests. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that 72 percent of all murder suicides involve an intimate partner. 

Floridians suffering in a domestic violence situation should call law enforcement or the domestic violence hotline at 1(800) 500-1119.