Crime Watch: Miami-Dade Police use Nextdoor social network to connect neighborhoods

The Miami-Dade Police Department recently announced its new partnership with the social media network, Nextdoor.

Through this new technology, Miami-Dade residents can now connect online with Miami-Dade Police. For those of you in a municipality, check with your local police departments to see if they have connected with this new program. Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade will use this technology with local crime watch groups that want to enhance communication with neighborhood residents.

According to a recent study, 93 percent of Americans say it is important to look out for each other, yet 50 percent of Americans don’t know their neighbors by name, according to a WhitePages news release. That is why Nextdoor, the private social network for neighborhoods, was created. Nextdoor’s mission is to bring back a sense of community to neighborhoods by offering free neighborhood websites specifically designed to foster conversations among neighbors and build stronger, safer communities.

Miami-Dade neighborhoods are already using Nextdoor, and now the Miami-Dade Police Department has adopted the platform to connect with residents to improve safety and strengthen virtual neighborhood crime watch efforts.

“We’ve officially adopted Nextdoor as a strategy we can utilize to enhance our crime fighting abilities as well as our community policing strategy,” said Miami-Dade Police Director J.D. Patterson.

On Nextdoor, neighbors create private websites to get to know one another, ask questions, and exchange local advice and recommendations. The Miami-Dade Police Department will now be able to share important safety information and emergency notifications to residents on a neighborhood level through Nextdoor.

Nextdoor was specifically designed to make neighbors feel comfortable sharing information with one another. All members must verify that they live within the neighborhood. Information shared on Nextdoor is password-protected and cannot be accessed by those outside the neighborhood, including the Miami-Dade Police Department, or found on Google or other search engines. Nextdoor never shares personal information with any third parties.

Join your neighbors and the Miami-Dade Police Department in building a stronger, safer Miami-Dade today at www.nextdoor.com.

Avoid costly automotive repairs

Summer is a busy travel season and with gas prices at record lows around the country, it's a great time to take a road trip. With more automobiles being used for vacation needs, some cars will need a basic tune–up service or possibly more extensive repairs. When repairs or service are required, it's important for consumers to have a certain level of confidence that the work will be done correctly at a reasonable price. Research whether the repair shop is registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and if any complaints have been filed against the business. This can be done by using the "Business/Complaint Lookup" at 800helpfla.com, or by calling 1–800–HELP–FLA (435–7352). If there are complaints on file find out how they were resolved.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state's clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information. For additional information contact the department's consumer assistance center by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or visit us online at www.800helpfla.com.

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Crime Watch: Miami-Dade Police use Nextdoor social network to connect neighborhoods."