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
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