Porch Protection Program

The Porch Protection Program is a pilot project to distribute camera-equipped doorbells to Columbus households to reduce crime, combat package theft, and improve neighborhood safety.

The program gives households the ability to:

• Capture video and/or photos of would-be criminal activity in real time
• Speak to package delivery drivers
• Monitor entryway activity remotely from a smartphone

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Live in a qualifying ZIP code
• Own their own home or recieve an attestation form from their landlord to install a camera-equipped doorbell
• Earn up to 200% of the federal poverty level per household

The initial pilot phase of the Porch Protection Program is open to households in the ten Columbus ZIP codes with the highest instances of criminal activity and calls for police service over the past year: 43201, 43204, 43207, 43211, 43219, 43223, 43224, 43228, 43229, and 43232.

Cameras are limited to one per applicant/household. City of Columbus employees and close family members are not eligible to participate. Law enforcement will not have access to any real time or archived footage—it is strictly limited to the household that owns the camera.

Applications are open through Monday, December 9, 2024. Distribution events will take place the following week.