With domestic violence in Illinois slowly rising, Amazon has donated 1,000 Ring cameras that will give survivors of domestic violence an added sense of security and allow them to record proof of restraining order violations and future instances of domestic violence, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and domestic violence victim advocates said Monday.

Ring Camera is an Amazon-owned product that functions as both a doorbell and surveillance for your home. The cameras allow you to watch a live view of your front door remotely from your phone, while keeping footage for future use. The cameras have already been distributed across the state to domestic violence survivors.

“This innovative Ring technology will save lives; we are confident of that,” said Carrie Boyd, CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “Not only will there be peace of mind to survivors and their families, but there will be assistance, and prosecution and civil trials just because of the evidence now that will be available as a result of the Ring cameras.”

The partnership with Amazon and the coalition was spearheaded by the Attorney General’s office and comes after Ring made a $25,000 dollar donation to the group in October.

“We are so impressed with the coalition’s dedication to championing the rights and well-being of survivors and their families,” said Raquel Medrano, a spokesperson for Amazon at the event. “We hope this donation will enhance their work to encourage and support survivors of domestic violence and help reclaim their lives.”

The donated cameras come at a time when Illinois has seen steady increases in domestic violence across the state. A coalition report shows that in 2024, 137 people died from domestic violence, a 14% increase since 2023 and a 140% jump since 2022. Boyd attributed the increases in domestic violence homicides to looser gun laws in neighboring states like Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri, which have allowed Illinoisans to bring guns across state lines.

Boyd, a former prosecutor, said convicting someone of domestic violence is difficult — and often evidence of physical injury isn’t enough.

“When there is a case involving something physical, often it becomes a ‘he said, she said’ kind of situation, and often the abuser will deny the facts and circumstances,” Boyd said. “So the ability to collect and gather evidence is fundamental for criminal prosecutions, and the Ring cameras specifically will allow for a lot of evidence to be collected.”