As police departments across Johnson County — and the rest of the country — are increasingly turning to footage from private cameras to aid in crime investigations, the city of Leawood recently partnered with Ring, producers of a variety of security products, to make the devices cheaper for a limited number of residents.

On Wednesday, Leawood police hosted an event kicking off a program that provided a $100 discount to 300 residents on the purchase of a selection of Ring products, from video doorbells to spotlight cameras to security kits. Leawood residents were lined up at the Lodge at Ironwoods Park to get their discount codes and then purchase products from Ring staff on site.

Leawood is the first city in the area to participate in Ring’s subsidy match program. Through the program, a city provides $50 toward the purchase of a device and the company provides another $50 for a total discount of $100. Capt. Kirt Yoder of the Leawood Police Department said the funds for the city’s portion of the subsidies, which totaled $15,000, came from the public safety budget.

(Read more: Prairie Village Post)