TPD using community app Nextdoor in community policing

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Keeping track of what's going on in the neighborhood has never been easier. The San Francisco-based app Nextdoor is a community message board allowing users to post in their PJs. Now, it's catching the eye of local law enforcement.

"We're looking for a better solution to communicate with each individual neighborhood throughout our community and Nextdoor is our solution," Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward said Tuesday.

Tampa Police Department is partnering with the app to collect crime reports from users within city limits and push out personalized alerts when necessary.

"They will be able to make a post into an individual neighborhood, into a group of neighborhoods, or into a district. So they will be able to connect with those people. Individual members will be able to reply," Nextdoor senior strategist Robbie Turner said.

The user base is already bustling. Nextdoor says 22,000 Tampa residents already use the service, representing 115 different neighborhoods in the city.

"It's so simple. You can get it through your smart phones. You can get it through the computer. It's effective and simple and it's free which is the even better part," Tampa resident and Nextdoor user Lance Connors said.

TPD follows in the footsteps of Pasco, Pinellas, and the St. Pete Police Department in joining forces with the app. Chief Ward says it's a powerful tool to partner with the community.

"The old fashioned days of our neighborhood watch is kind of antiquated. The easiest way for our to communicate is through technology," he said.

For more information about the app, visit their website, www.Nextdoor.Com.