Shaq alert!
Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal will be in Framingham on Thursday to promote neighborhood safety, and he's doing so by helping home security startup Ring deliver 100 of its video doorbells to the local police department. According to a Ring representative, O'Neal will also surprise one Framingham resident and install a Ring system on their home.
Ring, which was founded by Babson College alumnus Jamie Siminoff, announced earlier this month that it would partner with O'Neal to donate $1 million worth of Ring security devices across the country. O'Neal and Siminoff will present the video doorbells to the Framingham Police Department at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
O'Neal has been involved with law enforcement agencies for over a decade. Most recently, he became a sheriff's deputy in December 2016 as part of the Clayton County, Georgia Sheriff's Department. O'Neal and Siminoff have already delivered video doorbells and surprised one neighbor in Georgia.
“I grew up in a tough neighborhood and saw my fair share of crime; our neighborhoods need to be safer,” O’Neal said in a statement. “As a deputy police officer and a Ring customer, I’m excited to partner with the Ring team to further their noble mission of reducing neighborhood crime.”
Ring, which is based in Santa Monica, said its video doorbell device can help homeowners monitor their property when they're away while giving them the ability to maintain the illusion that they're still home. The company said one neighborhood in Los Angeles saw a 55 percent decrease in break-ins after Ring doorbells were installed.
