Baltimore Police are on Nextdoor

The Baltimore Police Department is entering the world of online neighborhood forums.
Commissioner Kevin Davis said each of the department’s districts is joining Nextdoor, the neighborhood-level social network. The idea is to get a more “direct line” of communication with residents.
“Our district commanders who have been trained to use Nextdoor will use it to inform neighbors about activities in their neighborhood, to educate neighbors about programs and services and to activate them to help partner with police,” Davis said.
So where do police fit in? At a news conference to announce the partnership, Oliver neighborhood Nextdoor organizer Earl Johnson acknowledged that there are a lot of cats posted by neighbors. But he also said the platform was used heavily during the unrest that followed Freddie Gray’s funeral, when neighbors were asking him the “hardest question” he’s ever been asked: stay or go?
“If it wasn’t for the information that was pouring into Nextdoor about what was going on in my neighborhood — where they were hearing shots, where they were seeing people, I don’t think I would’ve been able to answer that question,” he said. “I told my neighbors to stay.”

BPD announces partnership with Nextdoor, a private social network for neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/w9k9GeJJrc

— Adam Yosim (@Adam_Yosim) March 16, 2016

The police department isn’t the first city agency to appear on Nextdoor. That goes to the Department of Public Works, which got on last year. But the entry comes at a time when transparency and building relations with the community is of particular importance. Davis said police could also use the platform to address the “fear of crime” in communities.
“It gives us the opportunity to get ahead of developing rumors, especially when it comes to crime,” Davis said.
It’s part of a new social media push by the department. Having missed the press conference, we watched video of the announcement on Periscope. Director of Media Relations T.J. Smith said the department is also looking to add individual Facebook pages for each district to allow for another level of interaction. Smith didn’t commit when asked about whether the department would get in on neighborhood-level Facebook groups, however.