DC and DoorDash give free dash cameras to delivery drivers
WASHINGTON - Sumayya Lane is 69, a retired nurse, and enjoys driving for Uber part-time.
Lane was not in the middle of a ride, but was carjacked in her own driveway earlier this year, she says.
"He just kept repeating over and over again, where’s your money? I said I don’t have any money. And so he frisked me, and I just stood still. I didn’t make any movements," Lane says.
She tries to limit any dangerous driving: She only drives during the day, for example.
FOX 5 asked her if she feels safe driving.
"Not all the time. I don’t," Lane said.
After Tuesday, Lane felt a little better. She was one of hundreds of drivers who were eligible to pick up and set up a dash camera at an RFK lot Tuesday. Recipients must have a D.C. Drivers License and proof they work for a rideshare or delivery company.
D.C. Police, the Mayor’s Nightlife Office and D.C.’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles put on the distribution in conjunction with DoorDash. DoorDash gave the district a $500,000 grant and the District had to set up the infrastructure to pass it out.
Sumayya Lane said this was a no-brainer for her.
"This camera that I got, it makes me feel a little safer so that if they see that there’s a camera in here, I think its’ sort of like a deterrent that they’re not going to do anything, because they know they’re being recorded," Lane said.
The District says the cameras are part deterrence, part helping to solve crimes should they happen.
"It’s important because when we try and tackle public safety issues, it’s important that there’s of video evidence, it exponentially increases the likelihood that perpetrators are held accountable," said Salah Czapary, Director of the Mayor’s Office on Nightlife and Culture.
D.C. is the first market where DoorDash is doing this type of grant. DoorDash representative Darrell Davis says they’ll consider more.
"We’ve heard from residents and dashers in the District that safety is something they care about. As a company we saw what was happening and really understood the need for us as a company to step up and partner with the mayor," Davis said.
Drivers were given the camera, which faces inward or outward, with a default setting that videos are recorded on a memory card. District officials were encouraging drivers to set up cloud-based storage so that video could be accessible remotely should a car be stolen. Those who received a camera are not required to turn over video if a crime occurs, but District officials are hopeful they will, especially if they’re the victim of a crime.
The district has 2,500 cameras to give away. There’s another distribution Tuesday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at RFK Stadium Lot 3.
RELATED STORIES
- Neighbors on edge after delivery driver shot, carjacked in Northeast DC
- Uber driver carjacked by 3 juveniles in Southeast DC: police
- Free AirTags available Tuesday for DC residents who live in carjacking hotspots