Los Altos Police Join Nextdoor

With a large number of Los Altos households active on this growing social media platform, the Police Department looks forward to providing a direct line of communication between participating residents and the Police. According to the Nextdoor website, 42% of Los Altos households are currently represented on the site, with 7,587 individual members registered.

The City of Los Altos launched its Nextdoor page in May 2015 and has found it to be a great tool to both share information with and receive information from residents regarding City projects, events and activities. The City has been sharing public safety news as well; however, this information will now come directly from the Police Nextdoor page.

“We are excited to expand on the City’s commitment to engaging with Los Altos residents by launching a Police Department Nextdoor page,” says Tuck Younis, Los Altos Police Chief. “Nextdoor has enabled the City to communicate with a large number of residents and we look forward to doing the same while sharing public safety news and information that is timely and relevant.”

The Police Department cautions Nextdoor members to refrain from reporting in-progress crimes or suspicious persons or activity on the platform. “The best way to reach us for immediate response will always be to pick up the phone and call us,” says Scott McCrossin, Los Altos Police Captain. “Nextdoor will be a valuable tool to enable two-way communication between the Police and residents, but it should not replace reporting crimes via our 9-1-1 dispatch center.”

Residents posting crime or safety-related topics on Nextdoor will now see an option to forward a copy of the post to the Los Altos Police Department. This feature will send an alert to the Department so Police are aware of the situation and can respond appropriately. Residents should also note the Los Altos Police Nextdoor account will not be monitored 24 hours a day.

Nextdoor adds to the Police Department’s social media presence, as it is already active on Twitter, Facebook and Nixle.

Nextdoor is free for residents and the Police Department to use. Each Los Altos neighborhood has its own private neighborhood website, accessible only to residents who verify that they live in the neighborhood. Neighborhoods establish and self-manage their own Nextdoor websites and the Police Department will not be able to access residents’ websites, contact information or content. The Information shared on Nextdoor by residents cannot be seen by the Police Department unless it is intentionally forwarded. Also, information shared on the network is password protected and cannot be accessed by search engines.

Those interested in joining their neighborhood’s Nextdoor website can visit www.nextdoor.com and enter their address. If residents have questions about their Nextdoor website, please visit help.nextdoor.com.