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In an effort to bring neighbors, neighborhoods and public safety agencies together in a \u201cvirtual\u201d type of Neighborhood Watch, Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott kicked off a new and innovative partnership this morning between the agency and the online social networking site, Nextdoor (www.nextdoor.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n The Sheriff’s Office is the first Southwest Florida law enforcement agency to partner with Nextdoor, giving participants in the program an opportunity to connect and collaborate with the agency in a way that hasn\u2019t been done in our area before.<\/p>\n \u201cOur agency has always invested in innovative ways to reach out to the community and increase the safety of our residents and seasonal visitors\u201d, said Sheriff Scott. \u201cWith the use of Nextdoor, I believe we are taking Crime Prevention and Community Policing to another level, allowing us to reach residents quickly with valuable, sometimes urgent information.”<\/p>\n Residents can participate by either joining an already existing private neighborhood website that\u2019s available in their location, or if one does not already exist for their neighborhood, Nextdoor will allow a new one to be created. All of the information that is shared on Nextdoor is password protected; and profiles, content and private messages remain private and can\u2019t be accessed by search engines, or seen by Sheriff\u2019s Office personnel.<\/p>\n Residents who participate in the Nextdoor program will receive valuable information from the Sheriff\u2019s Office on topics such as safety and security tips, community events and workshops, crime bulletins specific to their area, alerts and emergency notifications. It is important to note that Nextdoor is NOT the appropriate way to request emergency services, law enforcement assistance, or file a police report. As always, 911 is the number to call for emergency assistance.<\/p>\n