The St. Joseph Police Department is promoting an app with the hope of keeping neighborhoods a little safer.

Sgt. Greg Gilpin said he recently started promoting an app called Nextdoor.

“It’s kind of a way for a neighborhood to set up a webpage for just their group.  They get on their address and they literally draw the boundaries for their group and only people who live within those boundaries can join their group,” Gilpin said. “Once they do it’s a way for neighbors to communicate about what’s going on.”

The website claims its app is a way to find a last-minute babysitter, learn about an upcoming block party or hear about a rash of car break-ins.

“It’s just a way for information to get passed around your area,” Gilpin said. “It’s kind of like a Facebook page just for your area.  Because once you get the boundaries set only the people in the boundaries you set are allowed to participate.”

One neighborhood watch group in St. Joseph has already started using the app.

“The Bartlett group, they meet over at the Huffman church,” Gilpin said. “The leader of that group her relatives are actually in law enforcement and they helped her set it up.”

Gilpin adds that residents should still contact police to report a crime but that the app is a great way to stay connected and know what’s going on in your community.

“If they’ve had a recent rash of thefts or some car break-ins and they’ve seen a certain car or person loitering around the area they can put that out to the group,” Gilpin said.

Gilpin said he hopes more neighborhood watch groups will try out the app.