Sacramento Police Chief Says Crime Down 15 Percent

The Sacramento Police Department says more community involvement has helped reduce the city's crime rate by 15 percent compared to last year.

The police department has changed its approach from reaction to prevention. Last year the crime rate dropped by ten percent. Police Chief Sam Somers says the department's partnership with the website Nextdoor has helped the police and neighborhoods further the fight against crime.

"The way you prevent it is to have communities that are connected, communities that know each other, communities that have ownership," Somers says. "And Nextdoor has provided that. We had about 1000 members to start off with.  We now have over 19,000 households that we have signed up."

Nextdoor is a combination of Facebook and Neighborhood Watch. People can share ideas and observations with each other and with police if they want to.   

Even though this year's budget includes new officers, Somers and detectives are now taking turns as patrol officers. He says the experience allows all levels of the department to communicate more effectively.