Ohio Department of Public Safety Partners with Nextdoor, the Private Social Network for Neighborhoods

ODPS media release

For Immediate Release: July 13, 2017

Ohio Department of Public Safety Partners with Nextdoor,

the Private Social Network for Neighborhoods

First state agency in the Midwest, third across the country to partner with the network

COLUMBUS The Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) today announced a partnership with Nextdoor, the private social network for neighborhoods, to improve statewide communications and safety by connecting with residents on a hyper-local level. ODPS is the first statewide agency in the Midwest, and the third across the entire country, to partner with the neighborhood network.

This integration will enable ODPS to use Nextdoor to build stronger, safer and more prepared communities with the help of Ohio residents. On Nextdoor, ODPS and Nextdoor neighborhoods are able to work together to improve safety related to emergency preparedness, strengthen community engagement, and better prepare for, mitigate and recover from emergency situations.

ODPS joins nearly 80 other local Ohio agencies on the platform including the City and Police of Columbus, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the City and Police of Cincinnati and the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management.

“It is important to embrace innovative ways to help keep our communities strong and resilient,” said John Born, ODPS Director.

With Nextdoor, Ohio residents create private neighborhood websites to share information, including neighborhood public safety issues, community events and activities, local services, and even lost pets. ODPS will use Nextdoor to share important news and updates, provide preparedness information, and communicate with residents before, during and after times of emergency. It will use Nextdoor to relay important and timely information, however Nextdoor is not a replacement for 911.

Nextdoor is free for residents and agencies. Each Ohio neighborhood has its own private Nextdoor neighborhood website, accessible only to residents of that neighborhood. Neighborhoods establish and self-manage their own Nextdoor website and ODPS is not able to access residents’ websites, contact information, or content. All members must verify that they live within the neighborhood before joining Nextdoor. Information shared on Nextdoor is password protected and cannot be accessed by Google or other search engines. 

ODPS joins over 2,300 public agencies across the country that are using Nextdoor for Public Agencies to build stronger relationships with residents.  Those interested in joining their neighborhood’s Nextdoor website can visit nextdoor.com and enter their address.

If residents have questions about their Nextdoor website, please visit help.nextdoor.com.

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For additional information, contact:

ODPS - Kristen Castle at (614) 728-4623 or Nextdoor – Jen Burke (918) 671-6920