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Armatage Neighborhood Association Gives Money To Homeowners To Buy Security Devices

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One south Minneapolis neighborhood is giving residents as much as $100 to help keep their homes and businesses secure. The Armatage neighborhood, which is just south of Lake Harriet, has a security rebate program to encourage people to buy security devices for their homes.

Each year, every Armatage resident can apply for reimbursement up to $100 for security devices. These can range from doorbell cameras to motion-detected lights to deadbolts.

Joel Federer is the president of the Armatage Neighborhood Association. He helped implement the program a year ago, and he says so far 72 homeowners, renters and businesses are utilizing it.

One of those residents opting into the rebate program is Tyler Mulcahey. He bought a security keypad for his back door one year, which was under $100, so it was free through the rebate. Then the next year he bought a Ring Camera for his doorbell for $200 and got a 50% discount through the rebate.

Mulcahey took these steps after he was hit by porch pirates two years ago.

"About a couple months after we moved into our house-- we're first time homebuyers-- we had a couple packages stolen, and we had no evidence to really give police," Mulcahey said.

Since he purchased the doorbell camera, he says there have not been any more issues.

The money the Armatage Neighborhood Association hands outcomes from the city of Minneapolis, which spreads funding to all 70 city neighborhoods. Each neighborhood gets to decide how they want to spend that money.

"That funding, however, potentially could expire at the end of 2020, so our hope is that the city will continue funding it so we can continue offering programs like these to the residents," Federer said.

If the funding isn't approved by Minneapolis City Council next year, this could be the last year of the rebate program.

To learn more about or to apply for the program, visit the Armatage website.

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