Social Media Newest Neighborhood Crime Fighter

AURORA, Colo. -- When a neighbor in Aurora's Tollgate Crossing subdivision saw a man snapping pictures of school children earlier this year, Neighborhood Watch Head Area Coordinator Judy Van Meter sent a blast of e-mails to 150 residents in the area.

"Some of our e-mail addresses go to a work address, cell phones or BlackBerry," Van Meter said at the National Night Out event held in District 3 of Aurora Tuesday.

Almost immediately, Van Meter said concerned neighbors flocked to the school to keep an eye on the guy who soon disappeared.

In another case, neighbors became concerned about people going door to door claiming to be alarm salesman.

"They were rather forceful," Van Meter explained.

She once again returned to her computer.

Aurora police officer Brandon Samuels is on Van Meter's recipient list and responded with word that neighbors in other areas had made similar complaints.

Time would reveal that the so-called salesmen were actually burglars.

"We got the word out and they were arrested," Van Meter said.

Samuels said social media has become one of the newest neighborhood crimefighting tools.

"We've seen it change a little bit to where community Web sites change and go into Twitter and Facebook, and we're able to build uplinks and disseminate information," Samuels told 7NEWS.

He added the information goes out much faster than methods used in years past which often required Neighborhood Watch members or police going door to door.

Neighbors across the Denver metro area participated in the National Night Out program, which is in its 26th year and committed to building stronger, safer communities.

Van Meter said modern technology has certainly helped neighbors keep a close eye on each other.

"We are a community, we communicate with each other," she said.

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• Aurora
• National
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• Out
• Denver
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• Twitter
• Facebook