Mesa County Sheriff’s Office Can Now be Found ‘Nextdoor’

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office announced you can find them "Nextdoor." What exactly does that mean? In this case, Nextdoor refers to a free and private social network for neighborhoods. How do you get your neighborhood on board?

According to their official Facebook page, Nextdoor is "the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. It's the easiest way for you and your neighbors to talk online and make all of your lives better in the real world. And it's free."

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office, via their Facebook page, says "It's free to sign up and it's a great way to get to know your neighbors and help make your community safer."

What kind of information would you share with your neighbors using Nextdoor? There are a number of things you might get the word out about, including:

• Quickly get the word out about a break-in
  
• Organize a Neighborhood Watch Group
  
• Track down a trustworthy babysitter
  
• Find out who does the best paint job in town
  
• Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog
  
• Find a new home for an outgrown bike

How does it work? First, head to Nextdoor's Facebook Page, and then follow the links to locate your neighborhood. For the purpose of this post, I used the radio station's address of 315 Kennedy Avenue in Grand Junction. Enter the address, along with your email. From there it asks you to chose a way of verifying your information, i.e. a phone number or via postcard.

From this point, you proceed by inviting your neighbors and introducing yourself. Start to finish, the entire process took about three minutes. What could it hurt?

Check out the Mesa County Sheriff's "Nextdoor" account. They share valuable notifications and important reminders. Please note, though, "Nextdoor" is not a means by which to contact the Sheriff's Office regarding emergencies.

Stay in touch with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office via Nextdoor. You might give consideration to starting an account for your own neighborhood. Hey, it's free.