Monterey Police using ‘Nextdoor’ to connect with neighborhoods

The Monterey Police Department is now an active member on Nextdoor.

The social media site is a private network just for neighbors, a 21st century neighborhood watch, so to speak. The department said it’s a useful tool to share information on everything from crime prevention to safety.

Currently, there are more than 1,100 Monterey residents signed up for the site and now police are too.

“It’s a great thing. All the neighbors have posted on there and they are very happy and excited about. And they have already started communicating with us directly,” said Nextdoor member Esther Malkin.

Malkin is referring to a comment posted by police Friday, one day after theyjoined the site. While walking through Laguna Grande Park officers logged on to the site and asked residents in the area where they have the most problems.

“That’s exactly what we want and so many responses came in. It was great,” said Malkin.

The Monterey Police Department said it joined Nextdoor to create stronger relationships with the people they serve.

“I hope that folks realize that we are always approachable and this is just one more tool for you to reach out and have a collaborative relationship with the police department to work on the problems that are affecting the neighborhoods,” said Sgt. Ethan Andrews.

The department already has a Facebook page and Twitter account but with Nextdoor officers can speak specifically to certain neighborhoods.

“We can tailor it to subjects that are just particular to certain neighborhoods. Because each neighborhood is unique, each neighborhood has different problems that they are addressing,” said Andrews.

Residents like Malkin said this is a step in the right direction.

“Our contact with Monterey police has been excellent. All the way around,” said Malkin.

Police said social media is not an appropriate place to report crime. They advise to always call 911 in case of an emergency.